


The Problem With Infinity

by AllyNet



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alphys is also Gasters lab parter/assistant, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Attempt at Humor, Attempted Murder, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Gaster is actually a pretty nice guy, Gasters not a Skele, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, OC is a scientist, Panic Attacks, Possible one sided love, Sans and Gaster are lab partners, Sans is also very nice, Science Experiments, Slow Burn, Soul Sex, and possible very gay, like seriously, lots of science, science rocks, soul bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-05-24 14:33:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 56,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6156709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllyNet/pseuds/AllyNet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is no question that the opinion of humans was a very divided subject among monsters. Although monsters are incapable of violent hatred, The King  always urges his kind to hold onto their compassion and their hope. Gaster always held a certain image of humans in his mind, similar to that of the forewarning crow in the grim stories Alphys shared with him occasionally. Humans seemed to be at every significant turning point in monster history. And where ever there was a human, there was pain and suffering. So it was no surprise when a fallen human swiftly sets an extremely interesting set of events in motion. One that has yet to reveal true shape of monster-kinds future. Interaction with humans usually end with a 75% chance of demise for monsters. And honestly? Gaster was liking those odds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Don't You Hate it When your Packages Arrive Late?

**Hmm. To think….after all of our progress, it would conclude like this.**

**It seems that even with an infinite amount of probable possibilities…..I still managed to achieve the worst possible outcome.**

**And what better punishment than to attain the power to fathom the enormity of my ignorance?**

**It’s almost satirical.**

**You however.**

**You should not be here right now.**

**Let's find you a more suitable chapter shall we? Or, to be more accurate, a new story.**

 

**Hopefully this one will prove better than the last…**


	2. A Distant Star Sending Signals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you there! Reader! Welcome to my fic! It's my very first!  
> The story of W.D. Gaster is pretty vague, wouldn't you agree? I say it leaves more room for interpretation! This is a head cannon I created following the story of the Underground not long after monster-kind is imprisoned. The story is meant to fit in perfectly with the events that unfold in the Undertale game. I've done a ton of research to make sure everything fits together the way it should, and hopefully it translates well. I Hope you enjoy it and I plan to keep it going for awhile. By the time it finishes, I'm hoping it will have at LEAST 15 chapters.  
> I will try to regularly update this, maybe every five to seven days. There will be LOTS of science babble that will coincide with events in the story. Yes there will be eventual smut.  
> Even if this story doesn't get many hits, this fic is really helping me keep my head on right now, and I'm pretty passionate about it! That being said, I urge you to comment if you like it or if you notice any typos or inconsistency's! Any and all (polite)criticism is always appreciated. :)  
> Well, I that's enough talk for now. The story awaits. Besides......its rude to talk about someone who's listening.

It was 6:42 a.m. when the sound of a blip in the readings peeped over the soft hum of the dimly lit room.

Emily sighed and leisurely rolled her computer chair away from the microwave that was currently cooking her morning egg roll. She didn't bother to straighten up, only scooting the chair towards the computer one drowsy foot at a time. Hmmm. It seems the computer is processing a possible signal. And by how long it was taking she postulated that it was probably just picking up on a solar flare. “Laaaame.” She huffed in low voice, sagging even further down into her chair to prepare herself for waiting out the next ten minutes of the data's development.

 It wasn't that the line of work bored her. Scientific discovery was always of the utmost importance to her, not to mention the very source of her own devotion to astronomy. Emily's entire life revolved around hearing that little beep these days. But there was just something about waking up in the wee hours of the morning that managed to quell her enthusiasm for lifes great discoveries.

 

That however didn't stop her from slamming her leg underneath the desk when she practically shot up out of her seat at the speed of light. _‘There's no way….this has gotta be wrong….something must have bugged….’_

 

But there it was, as plain as the numbers on the screen. The loudest detection of electromagnetic waves Emily had ever seen in her life, received at 6:42 a.m.. It seemed to have occurred within an impossibly short period of time. She was dumbstruck. Awe turned to disbelief as she reread the information at least ten times before she finally found the sense to run a diagnostic on the system. The sounds of keys being tapped rapidly trickled into the room, and she felt a completely irrational fear that the longer it took to verify the results, the lesser the chances would be of the signal actually being legit.

Two diagnostics later it was official. Everything was running smoothly.

And something **very** strange was happening.

Disbelief swiftly veered to impatience as she watched the office printer churn out the computer's results at an extremely agonizingly slow pace. In her frenzy to start jotting down notes it dawned on her that calling her boss would be the next logical thing to do. When she was confident in her findings, she shoved the results aside and pulled out her cell phone. After four rings Emily could barely contain her excitement anymore. Finally a sleepy voice mumbled over the receiver.

“....Em? Ugh...you know I’m not supposed to be at work for like-….. another _ten_ hours, right? You’re kinda cuttin’ into my beauty sleep here. Can’t I just ride this hangover in peace-”

“-Allen, you won’t _believe_ this signal that came in. It's off the charts!”

“...Wha…?”

Emily couldn't contain her excitement any longer and released a giddy onslaught of words into the phone.

“I was just cooking some food when the computer suddenly picked up the signal! The emission was massive but it can’t even pinpoint a general point of origin, it’s insane! I mean yea, I guess that could be some sort of error on the computer's part, possibly.” Emily held the papers up to the light for a better view squinting her green eyes to see the numbers in the low lighted environment.

“The data says the telescope picked up the radio emission at 6:42 a.m. and it is the loudest I have ever seen in my life! But get this, that's not even the weirdest part! For the measured unit of time that it occurred it showed a number that is in no way possible. It says it occurred within the smallest measured unit of time, about 12 attoseconds! This signal appeared and disappeared literally in the smallest instance of time! If it wasn't so loud, I don't even think the telescope would have hardly caught it!”

“Allen, believe me when I say the wow signal’s got nothing on this.”

There was a pause on the other end after her long-winded assault, as if he was still trying to process her ramblings.The silence was broken by what she assumed was him jerking the covers off and climbing out of bed. “You're joking.”

Em gave a dramatic gasp and threw a hand over her heart in a perfectly practiced gesture of sarcasm. “The mere thought sickens me.” She scoffed.

“You’re not joking are you.”

“Nope.”

“.....I can’t believe…..the one day I ask you to take over my shift…….” He ranted. “That's it. It’s official. God must hate me. It's the only explanation. God hates me and I’m being punished.” Emily heartily laughed, falling back down into the computer chair. The motion sent her sliding back across the room to the microwave where she retrieved her egg roll and took a bite.

“It's what you get for being a lazy ass. If you ask me I think the stars aligned.” She beamed through a mouthful of egg roll.

Yikes. The middle was cold. She hated it when that happened.

“Shit….I guess there's no one to blame but myself. I can't believe I missed out on this. How come you always catch the interesting stuff? I think you’ve rigged the system. That last one seemed pretty fishy if you ask me.” He grumbled into the phone while accompanied with more shuffling noises. Despite his lethargic state, it seemed Allen officially decided to see the data with his own eyes.

“Hey, we were both on the job that day, it could have been anyone who caught that one. Was fair game.”

Emily was actually pretty proud of her discovery of the radio pulsar PSR J2129-5721. The study of pulsars and neutron stars was one of her favorite topics when she was young and the fascination with these celestial objects verily solidified her interest in astronomy from an early age.  
Her being the one to find the star seemed almost poetic in a sense. Even though they aren't exactly what one would call a rare astronomical find, it was her discovery and hers alone. She would have named it junior if they’d let her. Bastards.

“Uh, one question- shouldn’t you be calling the boss first?” He huffed as he struggled to put on jeans while pinning the phone between his ear and shoulder.

“ _Welllll_ , I was about to but then I realized something.”

“Go on….” He urged bitterly. He finally closed the front door behind him and walked out into the cold white morning.

“I figured It would have been far better to call you first and rub it in.”

“Har har, laugh it up you ass, I swear my time will come. And when it does there will be a recko _ni_ -”

Emily snorted into the phone as his proclamation was cut off by a thud and a muffled curse.

“ _Damn it_ , Fucking snow…”

“Did you just fall on your ass?”

“No……...-Shut up.” The sound of a car door opening and slamming passed over the line.  
“Okay I’m about to be on my way. Em, just so you know, if I get there and this is some sort of twisted prank, I will literally kill you. Ok? Seriously. I will run you over with my car.”

“I’m not that cruel Al.” She chirped, spinning in her chair. “ Oh, and drive slow.” She warned in a more serious tone. “The roads are getting pretty slippery right now.”

“Yes, _mom."_ He teased _. "_ I’ma let you go. We’ll review the data when I get there.”

“Sounds good. And Al?”

“Yea?”

“If this telescope is the only one in the world that picked up this signal that means it’s our discovery. After all, you are the first person I called. Wherever this signal came from, we’re the first ones to record it, at least for the moment. Pretty neat, huh?” Emily felt her heart swelling with determination. Allen hands stilled on the steering wheel and his movement froze for a few moments. A soft laugh slipped past his lips.

“Yea...That's pretty damn neat, Em....Call me if something happens before I arrive.”

“Gotcha.”

With that she hung up and her finger hovered over her the next contact in her phone. She tapped call and held the phone up to her ear. An anxious few seconds passed before the line connected.

“Hey Arthur, listen I got a really-”

“-You're late.” The deadpan voice of her boss interrupted her greeting.

Okay that was unexpected.

“Wh-what? What d’you mean late-” She kicked herself mentally for stuttering. Being caught off guard wasn’t something she was accustomed to.

“Did it really take you that long to review the data? You must be losin’ those smarts, Emily.” She felt a sudden annoying urge to defend her intellect, it being one of the only few good things she owned, but she ultimately decided against taking the bait. Pride was apparently one of the many traits she possessed according to her boss. Sure, he wasn't wrong, but he certainly didn't seem to mind having mountains of it himself. Maybe that's why they got along so famously.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I ran two diagnostics just to check to see if the system wasn’t blowing a circuit! Oh and I uh, called Allen and asked him to come down to the…. site….. I’m sorry-wait, what? How did you- how do you know about the signal?”

Emily must have said something pretty funny in that moment because a second later Arthur exploded into a loud booming laugh, one that seemed a bit forced in her opinion. He was always much too loud for her liking.

“How do I know?” Emily was starting to think she wouldn't like what she’d hear next.

“Kid. The whole **world** knows.”

Needless to say, the notion of discovery felt pretty offended by this, mostly evident by the whooshing sound it made as it went right over Emily’s head and straight out the window.

“Sorry to break it to you kid, but almost every radio sensitive device on Earth heard that hiccup. But really only the telescopes saved the most interesting data.” This revelation deflated her enthusiasm down to a good thirty percent.

“You mean to tell me, that while I’m sitting here thinking I just discovered the next wow signal, the whole astronomical community already knew about it? That I was the one in the dark?”

“Yup.”

“........Well fuck.”

This earned her another loud burst of hilarity, this time louder than the next. She slouched into her chair and sat very unamused as her bosses laughter went from roaring, to wheezing, to coughing over the span of the next ten seconds. He finally cleared his throat and his laughter died down into an exhausted chuckle.

“Are you done?”

“Hahaha...heh yea. I wouldn’t sweat it kid. You and every other astronomer on the face of the planet. Naturally everyone started to phone their friends and superiors about the big discovery. Everyone realized pretty fast that this thing was a pretty universal all around.

“Well, so much for the big find. And stop calling me kid. I’m twenty six, not five.” She muttered. Pushing down her disappointment she focused on the next most alluring piece of evidence. Multiple readings of this signal all around the world meant more data to study. More data meant a clearer picture of the phenomenon and its possible coordinates. “Well at least fill me in. What's the big talk? Emissions stirred up by black holes? Quasars? Seriously, a reading that large had to be something massive and not to mention extremely dense.”

The long pause on the other end only fueled her curiosity. “Any year now boss. I’d love to hear about it while I’m still young

“Well-” Arthur began uncertainly, “that's kinda the thing, ya see. No one really knows what the hell it was. Conjectures are being tossed around at the moment, but so far it's just game of theorize and debunk between these clowns. It's actually pretty irritating to listen to a bunch of old people arguing over a video conference. Wanna watch?” Emily sighed and pulled her brown hair into a sort of half assed bun.

“You know you're one of those old people right?”

“Please, these I’m the youngest spirit in this whole damn conference…...Yes- I know you heard that Reggie, it was directed at you.” A voice in the background of the call seemed upset.

“Arthur you really shouldn't torment the old people, it’ll just make it harder for everyone to cooperate with each other.” She accused, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “So has anyone been able to determine where the signal came from yet? After all one of the benefits of having different readings from various locations is that it makes it easier to pinpoint exactly where it came from.”

“Yea, yea, we’re still compiling data. In fact I’m glad you finally decided to call, now I can tell you to send me your the readings from your site. I expect these old coots will have a place of origin sometime tomorrow.”

“Alright I’ll send you the data. Just please, please, make sure to let me know when you get some answers, alright?” She was practically begging at this point but she didn’t really care.

“Great, great make sure you send it. I’ll let you know of any developments. And Miss Stella?”

Uh-oh. Arthur only uses her last name when he’s about to use his head honcho voice.

“Yea?”

“Next time call me, your boss _and_ trusted supervisor, first, and not your coworkers.”

“Sure thing boss.”

“Thank you Miss Stella.”

With that the call ended, leaving the room quiet and Emily amply unsatisfied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY fic will have many nods and references not only to the game, but to past and future chapters. Kudos to you if you spot any of them!  
> The title of this chapter is taken from my favorite John Steinbeck quote. See the full quote below!  
> http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/673277-a-writer-out-of-loneliness-is-trying-to-communicate-like


	3. Newtons First Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!  
> There are mentions of suicide and rape elements in this chapter! If this kind of thing upsets you, I advise you not to read further!

 

“ _OOOOH_ , Allen, you're the first one I called.   _Ooh_ Allen it’s _our_ discovery, look at us, we're pioneers in astronomy!” He waved a hand energetically in the air during his impersonation while resting the other one dramatically on his hip. “Oh _man_ , ha ha ha."

 

Emily groaned into the desk, not bothering to remove her forehead from the surface to watch his charade. It had been ten minutes since he had arrived and he was still going strong. If he weren't  so right, Emily would be tempted to slap the freckles right off his face.

 

Sadly that wasn't the case and she probably did deserve every bit of dramatic performance he had.

 

“ _Please kill me_ …” She groaned, raising  her forehead off the table and dropping it with a _thud._

 

“Holy shit..." He marveled as he went over the papers in his hand. "I can’t believe with this.” 

 

_Thud._

 

“I mean I know you said the signal was loud, but this? This is incredible!”

 

_Thud._

 

“I mean, there's never been anything like this, like, in the entire history of deep space radio!”

 

_Thud._

 

“Keep that up and you're gonna get brain damage.”

 

_Thud._

 

“Ugh, I can’t believe I jumped the gun like that…" She sighed. "Sorry for pulling you out of bed like that. Got ahead of myself I guess...” As soon as he had walked in the door with a messenger bag strapped around his chest, Emily could tell he looked absolutely exhausted. And maybe a little sickly.

 

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I would have come down here whether the world knew about it or not.....Damn.... You think its in the news yet? It should be."

 

“Haven't checked. Maybe…” Emily watched his dark brown eyes flitter back and forth as sat down next to her and began to scan over charts.

 

“Hey no offense, but you uh…kinda look like shit.”

 

“Gee, thanks” He muttered, uninterested. “Hugging the toilet for an hour can do that to you.” He rubbed his eyes tiredly before focusing again on his papers. Emily stared at him for a few moments, not really liking what she was seeing. His dark skin seemed clammy and his eyes were straining to read the numbers on the paper. She was starting to think she shouldn't have called him. Much less allowed him to drive here.

 

“You shouldn't drink so much ya know.” She said softly and sat up. Lately it was proving to become a bad habit for him. This morning wasn't the first she'd had to cover for him.

 

“It's not good for you.”

 

“Your right. I should drink more.”

 

“Pfft.” She nudged his elbow gently, deciding to oblige him. If he wants to make light of the developing habit it was his choice.

 

‘ _He is an adult after all.’_ In the meantime she decides to keep a close eye on him. Just in case.

 

“I’m fine, really. A few pills, some peace and quiet, and all’s good.”

 

Emily took the hint.

 

The next day the phone rang while she was feeding her cat. She put bowl down and checked the caller ID.

 

Arthur.

 

She'd be lying if she said her heart didn't jump with excitement.

 

“What's the gist, physicist?”

 

“Well, its official, it came from every direction.”

 

It took a few moments for her to register what he was saying. A hello would have been nice.

 

“Wait, wait, back up. First of all, has anyone actually figured out what might have caused it?”

 

“Well, Right now the accepted theory is a collision of black holes in deep space, causing an intense emission of radio waves. At least, that's what they telling the public.”

 

“That's...That's _bullshit!_ If that were the case we would be detecting multiple ripples of gravitational waves by now." She tested and thought for moment. "Uh, actually…Have there been any...?” She asked awkwardly. Probably should have asked first before calling bullshit.

 

“Not a peep.” He affirmed.

 

“Ah ok. Yep.  _Bullshit_.”

 

“Well, so _far_  , that's just what we're telling the idiots who're demanding answers. But let me tell you something kid, behind closed doors this discovery is a mad house! Everyone's running around with their _heads_ on fire! Half of the theoretical knuckleheads are screaming about the collapse of the universe, and saying that it's only a matter of time till our walls close in, and the _other_ half are threatening to crucify 'em!  Some of em are entertaining the idea of extra terrestrials, which is my personal favorite. _Buuut_  that's  pretty unlikely due to the fact that the static occurred on all frequencies, unlike artificial radio signals which only occur on one. Like I said, every radio sensitive device on earth picked that sucker up."

 

"Wow. Sounds pretty crazy."

 

"Your tellin me. And it doesn't help that some scientist from Japan whose been working with us went dark last night. When someone finally decided to investigate his house, they found him in his office, gun in his hand and brains splattered all over the wall.”

 

“Jesus…” Emily muttered, leaning against the kitchen counter. Her cat Newton meowed and wove around her legs, blissfully unaware of the troubles life brought when one possessed intelligence.

 

“You're telling me. They tried going over his research and it looks like he was also convinced it was the end. Here- wait a sec… lemme read you somethin.”

 

This whole ordeal was starting to become very unsettling. How could anyone clock out after such an interesting occurrence? She waited silently for whatever he was gong to add.

 

“Ah, ok here it is. My buddy sent me an e-mail of one of the writings they found in his office. They found him less than two hours ago, so his work is still being translated, but this one was pretty strange. Ok, ” he cleared his throat and continued, “it says, “There are some things left best unknown, we have gone to far this time, and brought our own destruction. We have destroyed God itself, and will pay the price.” Uh I’m not sure how accurate that translation is, but I’m pretty sure that's the main idea.

 

“Thats... pretty dark. An kind of extreme if you ask me.” Despite being a very rational man, Emily noticed Arthur had the tendency to be superstitious at times, so it would be no surprise if this bothered him. Hell, it kinda disturbed her. “This guy was pretty hasty, though. I mean, committing suicide? That's rash, even if he did think the Universe was gonna implode. There had to be some underlying problem. No scientist is that sure of themselves.” She assured.

 

He laughed. "Have you _seen_ most scientists? Most of them think their word is gospel. But...You ain’t kidding.” Arthur sighed, sounding very tired

 

“When was the last time you slept, Art?”

 

“I'm alright. As long as I gotta constant supply of coffee, sleeps irrelevant. I could live on this stuff for weeks. They got the good stuff here. The only problem is now I gotta pee like every hour.”

 

“I would have been better off not knowing that, thanks.” Emily stated with a sigh. A tired chuckle sounded over the speaker.

 

“Anyways, it has been determined that without a doubt, the signal originated from every direction at once, and happened within an immensely short period of time. It was seventy times stronger than cosmic background noise. And it didn’t affect jack shit. No more strange emissions, no omens from the sky, no galaxies imploding. Nothing...I don't really see any of us solving this one. This stickler is gonna be for the big ones. Like, I’m talking the ones with a hundred years of physics and cosmology under their belts. And I’ll be surprised if _they_ even manage to spit a legitimate theory out of their ass.”

 

Emily pondered on this for a moment. “Wait did you say seventy times stronger? That's…..not the numbers I was getting.”

 

“Uh yea, I’m getting to that. Anyways, I doubt we’ll really ever know what this is. And unless this signal repeats itself so it can be more carefully observed, we don't have much to go on. Well, anyways I’ve gotta make a few more calls before I am free of this hell. I’ll let you know if anything comes up but there's just not much to go on right now.”

 

“Ok. Get some sleep Art, the data's not going anywhere. But uh, seventy?”

 

“Right. Sorry. I’m slipping up over here.” He chuckled. “Have a job for you. It seems the data you sent me from one of the telescopes wasn’t smoothly received. Some of the results seemed off. I need you to run some diagnostics on the telescope to make sure everything's running properly. Can’t afford to have that thing not working at a time like this.” He added.

 

Emily knew exactly which one he was talking about. There were four telescopes where she worked, but originally there used to be only one. The next three were built facing opposite directions, three years before Emily began working there.

 

“But I ran tests on it right after the data was processed. How different is the data compared to the results from other sites?”

 

“Well, ours was obviously not the only one to foul. The bigger telescopes around the world recorded the signal perfectly, but there were a few smaller ones that had to crunch the numbers a bit to accurately process the data.  And the…ahem… _older_ ones, ours for example, did a pretty shit job. In fact ours was leagues worse than anyone else’s.” Based on his tone he must of found this pretty amusing.

 

Emily felt the motherly urge to defend their telescope. How dare he offend its honor.

 

“ **In fact** , one of the guys down in Nevada was running a fix on one that's even older than ours, and their telescope _still_ recorded the signal better. Our’s is really the only one that did a bang up job of screwing up the data.”

 

Ok, this had gone _too_ far. He was now _deliberately_ attacking her child.

 

“Hey, you can't blame the poor thing for being thirty six years old. Have some respect."She scolded, only half serious. “But nevertheless…. I’ll check it out.”

 

“Great.” The call ended before Emily had the chance to say goodbye. Another thing he did often that irked her.

 

Even though it was already pretty late she decided to to go down to the site and run those tests. It was really no surprise something was faulty. It wasn’t the first time the older structure hadn't worked properly. But usually the errors that _did_ occur were accompanied by a friendly message to run diagnostics.

 

There had been nothing like that yesterday. When she arrived at the office it was already dark. One of the sixty-foot telescopes loomed over her ominously in the night as she walked towards the office and it was the only time Emily had ever gotten shivers from being at work alone. Everything happening recently was so unnerving, there was no way things could get any stranger than this.

 

An hour of evaluations later and it was, once again, official. Emily stared down at the papers placed in front of her before going to work. She would be lying if claimed to know everything about the giant technical feat of science that was their telescope, much like one who drives a car may not know exactly how an engine works. But she _was_ good at problem solving and she would be _damned_ if she didn’t know how to work with numbers. By the time she was finished it was 1:00 in the morning. The answer she found was a bit more underwhelming than she had hoped.

 

It seemed the signal was affected externally, not by error. The telescope facing north received the signal in a much more distorted form than the other three. No wonder the numbers came out so abnormal.

 

There were plenty of things on Earth that could affect the analysis of radio frequencies. Clouds, rain, storms, and many other radio interference's. But this was odd. What could possibly hinder THIS kind of signal? And why now?

 

Emily realized that the only reason this aberration had never made itself known was because all frequencies they studied came directly from above. Certainly Not from every direction at the same time. Without this recent signal, the abnormality would have never even revealed itself. The more Emily sat there pondering this new revelation, the stronger the urge to investigate it gripped her. Once again she reluctantly went through the data again to pinpoint a more accurate location.

 

Science was great, but admittedly it had its moments that were pretty...uneventful. Most of those moments involved numbers. And lots of them. It took another twenty minutes to determine a general location. Sixteen miles north. In the direction of Mount Ebbott. It wasn't the most ideal outcome considering sixteen miles north was mostly dense woods. And lots of it. A very bad idea to investigate lingered in her mind. It was stupid. Right? It _was_ a pretty foolish thought. That is, if you forget the fact that Emily grew up in this region. Or the fact that she had always been the adventurous type that spent most of her time as a child wandering a long way from her farmhouse and into the woods to her favorite clearing, where the stars would shine brighter for her there than they ever could from her bedroom window. Oh, and the the fact that she already had in her car the equipment ideal for investigating the strange effects on the frequencies.

 

Yep, it was a pretty dumb idea. Which was why she came up with the brilliant plan to bring Allen.

 

Unfortunately, three calls, eight text messages, and two voicemail's later there was no answer...

 

Ok. That throws a small wrench into her plans. Alright maybe Arthur was the next best option.

 

Straight to voicemail.

 

This threw a fairly large wrench into her plans.

 

 _‘Well this blows._ _’_ She thought bitterly. Here she is with a new mystery and no one to investigate it with. Well…how bad could going into the woods alone be? She’d done it many times before. Even though it was already dark, getting lost didn't seem to be a problem as long as she had her compass and a GPS in her bag. And what else was she going to do? Arthur said it himself. There just wasn't much to go on at the moment, and unless another signal came in, it was gonna stay like that. And Emily was not the patient type. Investigating this abnormality wouldn't give her any info on the strange signal, but she was still curious.

 

So it was decided.

 

Emily sent a text to both Allen and her boss explaining her plans before heading out with her paperwork and locking the door behind her. The air was chilled by the light snow that fell every once in a great while and the sky was darkened by the clouds, not a star to be seen. She dropped by her house to change into some better clothes first. A pair of tough grey boots, black pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a warm jacket. Newton seemed pretty uninterested in her actions as he licked a black paw, hardly looking up as she bid him farewell and locked the door behind her. The drive didn't take long and on the way there Emily questioned herself over and over. 

 

 _‘Why am I doing this?’_ She thought as she parked the car and pulled out her work bag from the trunk. Emily did have a habit of making risky decisions on the spot. Her thirst for adventure usually led to bad decisions on her part. The simple truth was she got bored too easily, and curiosity was a hell of a motivator.  Allen once told her (after she had climbed one of their telescopes without safety gear to remove a caught balloon) that she was too dangerous for her own good. What could she say? It was messing with the readings.

 

Needless to say that didn’t go over very well with Arthur. She was lucky he didn’t fire her. But honestly where was he going to find such a devoted worker in this region.

 

Life just didn’t seem to have enough excitement. There was this feeling she had that she was always searching for her looking glass. 

 

The bag of equipment shuffled noisily as she hauled it over her shoulder and started off into the treeline. _‘What am I even expecting to find? Aliens? This is bad. Turn around. Now.’_   She didn't of course. In fact she sped up. She was starting to think this just an excuse to do something reckless. The trunk of her car creaked as it closed and she checked her phone one last time for any responses. None. _‘Oh well.’_ She shoved her phone into her coat pocket and zipped it up. 

 

 _'Ok, its not that bad…'_ The trees weren't so dense at first and the clouds started to break up. The moon was so bright she didn't even need to use her flashlight. The silence was only broken by the dead leaves and branches that snapped and crunched under her boots. The air was fresh with the scent of trees and dirt, a smell that could really only be found in a place like this. Something about the smell of the woods comforted her and reminded her of the many times her father had brought her on little adventures through the woods and went on for hours about the wonders of the space. It never felt cold when he talked about it. He always had a way of making science feel more like magic, and stars seem like gentle giants, and making people seem more like explorers. Not mindless zombies that trudged through life with no purpose. He made it seem that as long as you were curious about the world that you would find your own purpose, no matter what it was. Something like that was important to hold on to as she went through school and struggled with cold hard physics and a community that valued being right over anything else. The scientific community could be a disagreeable lot at times.

 

But she did it. And even though an afterlife was something she never put much stock into, she hoped he'd be proud of where she was now.

 

Walking further, she mindlessly fiddled with the device in her hand that detected surrounding frequencies. The woods had become much more dense now, and she found herself tripping over more and more branches the farther she strolled. The moon was beginning to retreat back into the clouds, which didn't really matter anyways since now the trees blocked most of the moonlight. She was pulled from her thoughts when she noticed the signal strength waver and plummet. Radio signals faded naturally the farther you walked from civilization, which was a strong word to describe where she was from, but it usually happened in a more gradual manner. Emily frowned as the frequencies on the small screen suddenly began to rise and fall rapidly. Was it broken?

 

 _‘Oh, please don't be defective.’_ She thought, desperately tapping the small yellow box against her hand. _‘This thing was way to expensive to break now.’_ She stopped her path into the woods when her pocket began to vibrate. Perhaps Allen finally saw her messages? If so it was a bit late.

 

As she reached for her pocket she suddenly became aware that the crunching sounds of leaves continued for another few steps after she had stopped. Emily’s breath froze instantly and she turned her head and gazed back into the shadows. Silence.

 

_‘Is someone out here? No. Who in their right mind would be out here at this time of night. Well, except for me. It was probably just an animal. Maybe a squirrel or a-’_

 

“Hey there.”

 

Her blood froze when a man's voice broke the stillness. He stepped out carefully from behind a tree about twelve away and took a few lazy steps forward.

 

“Sorry, I woulda came out sooner but I didn’t wanna scare you. But then you looked over and I assumed you realized I was here. Didn't wanna be weird so figured I'd say hi.” He affirmed smoothly.

 

“Have you been following me?” Emily accused. This was not good. Not only was she now in the woods alone with a man she didn’t know, but he was also standing right between her and her car….which was already a few miles back judging by how long she had walked. Why did she come out here alone?

 

“No, no, no, of course not. I was just going for a stroll. Guess our paths just happened to meet.” He took a few more steps as he talked, not approaching too fast, almost as if he was trying not to scare her off.

 

“It’s pretty late to be going for a stroll.” The bag in her arm casually sunk to the ground as she talked, where she would leave it if the need to run arose. So far it was hard to tell if he meant any harm, but she wasn't taking any chances.

 

“I could say the same for you. Here I am going for a nice walk and suddenly I’m caught alone in the forest with a stranger." He said.

 

_‘'Is he mocking me?'_

 

"To be honest _I’m_ a bit spooked. You could be a murderer for all I know. So what are you doing out here? ” He inquired. His hands were casually stuffed into his jeans. It was looking too much like an act to appear casual, and even more red flags went up in her head.

 

 

“I’m doing research. My boss is waiting for me to compile some data. I was actually about to head back now.” Her words came out rushed but she found it to be an adequate explanation. She slung the backpack over her shoulder in an obvious statement that she was leaving. He didn't seem to approve.

 

“Woah, woah, no rush, I ain’t gonna murder you, sheesh.” He assured as he took a side step and put his palms in the air, as if to convince he to stay put. Somehow, hearing someone say they were _not_  going to murder you wasn't very assuring. “So this, uuh, _research_ thing. Sounds pretty interesting. What kind of research you doing out here? In the middle of nowhere I might add.”

 

“I don't think its any of your business.” She informed him flatly. In an effort to appear calm, she busied herself with a zipper on her pack and put away the detector. In normal circumstances it would probably be rude to say this but this was not normal circumstances, and Emily didn't want to give the impression that she trusted him.

 

“Hmm I guess your right.” He put a hand back in his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck with the other. “Say, this guy... your boss. Did he drive you here?” He questioned nonchalantly.

 

“What?”

 

“You said your boss was waiting for you. Right?” He asked flatly.

 

“Uh...Yea. He is. He’s waiting at the car right now. Which is why I'd rather not leave him waiting long.” _‘Why is he asking this?’_ She hoped he would get the hint and just keep walking. He was in the way and there was no way she was going to go anywhere near him.

 

“Oh...ok. Yea just curious, cause I checked that car.” His voice went from casual to sinister in an instant. “ _And there was no one in it._ ”

 

Emily's spine chilled and the realization that it was time to run hit her. Her mind was screaming at her to just choose a direction, any direction. Going forward was a bad idea. It was doubtful that even if she managed to get past him that she could outrun him for long. If she ran even farther towards the mountain, the chances of getting help would be reduced to zero. The only logical thing she could think of was to run left or right and keep running until she could get around him. Hopefully he would lose sight of her if she got the lead. In the two seconds it took to come to this decision he must of noticed her sudden apprehension.

 

“Wait wait, I’m just saying-” His defense was cut off by a thud as the bag hit the ground and she took off.

 

“Wait!  **GET BACK HERE! _"_**   and how to get around it

 

The scream only fueled her legs to run faster. Adrenaline's now pumping into her so hard she feels her heart may explode. Her feet barely hit the ground as she sprinted past the trees that now looked more like blurs to her. Tunnel vision took over and the only thing she could see was what was in her way and how to get around it. It probably shouldn't have been such a shock when her right foot suddenly sunk into the dirt and got caught between two large branches. The speed which she was going at only made the twisting motion worse.

 

“ _Fuck!_ ” She hissed under her breath and threw out her hands and went down on one knee. Pain exploded up from her ankle and traveled up her leg and one of her hands was bleeding now, although it was hard to tell over the pain of her ankle which hand it was.

 _‘This is literally the worst thing that could happen, please, **please** , don't be broken.’_ Careful not to move her leg too much, she sat up gingerly and dug at the dirt surrounding her shoe. Thankfully, it came out right when she began to consider leaving the boot behind. She froze and listened desperately for any sounds around her but it was hard to focus past the pain in her leg and her heart pounding in her ears. She was too terrified to think about anything except running now. As she warily leaned forward to stand and test her ankle she felt her pocket vibrate again.

 

 _‘Oh god I am such an idiot.’_ Through all of the fear and adrenaline she completely forgot the phones existence.

 

She speedily undid the pockets zipper and pulled the phone out of her pocket, dialing 9-1-1.  A shaky hand held the phone up to her ear and she pleaded silently for an answer.

 

“9-1-1. What's your emergency?” A woman's voice inquired over the speaker. Her heart practically stopped with fruition at the sound of another person.

 

“Oh god. Please- I need help there's a man, he- he's after me, I don't know where he is, b-but hes trying to-”

 

“Ma'am, please try to speak clearly, You say you’re being pursued? And where are you?”

 

“Ok, ok,” Emily breathed in an attempt to slow her words, “I’m in the woods, just north-”

 

A brutal kick to her left side cut off her plea for help when it forced the air from her lungs and sent what only could be described as excruciating pain through her torso as a rib snapped from the force. A choked scream burst from her lungs and the phone fell from her hands as she was knocked onto her side. Wheezing through the pain, she instinctively curled into a ball to protect herself from anymore blows. But none came. Through pained squinted eyes she watched as a pair of brown shoes entered her field of her vision and a hand came down to pick up her phone. A whimper escaped her lips and she watched through blurry tears as he put on a show of removing the back cover and throwing the battery off to the side, now lost forever.

 

“I _try_ to be nice, I _try_ to have a conversation…” He grumbles, dropping the phone next to her face. She moans painfully and reaches for it as if it could still help in some way. He doesn't seem to care as he sighs and paces in front of her shaking body.

 

“ _Why_ -” It was all she could choke out in a terrified whisper. Her breathing was laborious and the reality of possibly dying here, in the dirt, hit her like a train. The man ignored her.

 

“Why do they **all** do this? I’m polite. I’m good looking. I'm smart! I don’t understand. Why am I not good enough for you?!” He questioned furiously. Emily flinched, half expecting another kick.

 

_‘Oh god, hes crazy.’_

It was the only thought she was able to form over the pain. His words caused her heart to pump even more adrenaline into her and she used the temporary numbness to try to crawl away. The only thing her brain was screaming now was to get away, any way she could. It took a lot of effort to move, but in the end it wasn't very effective.

 

“Hey! _Listen_ to me!” He stepped forward and leaned over, grabbing her arm hard enough to bruise and yanked her towards him.

 

“ **GET OFF!** ” Emily screeched and kicked her foot out hard. It landed on his shin and he grunted, but didn't let go. He tightened his grip on her and planted a sharp slap across her cheek.

 

“Quit squirming, you bitch!” He shouted and slammed her down hard, pinning both of her shoulders into the wet ground. Despite the pain that was practically everywhere now, her brain still screamed at her to fight. Her knees flew up in a desperate attempt to hit his groin. He must have seen this coming though. He backed up just in time to avoid the assault and managed to pin her legs down under his own. Dirt and leaves stuck to her hair and clothes but that was the least of her worries.

 

“Why won't you just stop!” He growled, trying to keep her from kicking her legs out again as she dug her boots into the dirt, trying to get some leverage. As he fumbled with her legs, she used this distraction to free an arm from his bruising grip. Even though her ribs screamed in disagreement, she managed to swing her fist with everything she had and land a hard blow to his jar.

 

“ **Shit!** ” He clamored and retaliated with an even harder punch to the side of face. Her head snapped to the left and she felt her limbs go limp, lights dancing across her blackening vision. It took a few moments for her vision to stop swimming, and her focus to return, but everything continued to spin around her. Pleading for her life seemed like a good alternative now.

 

“ _Ple-_ ” A hand clamped down fast over her mouth and another squeezed tightly over her throat, nails digging sharply into her flesh.

 

“Shut. The fuck. Up.”

 

Her brain was still foggy but the message got across pretty clearly.

 

“All ya had to do was talk to me. I’m a nice guy. We could of been friends.” He stated as if it was some universal fact.

 

Another whimper slipped out as he removed the hand from her mouth and began to unzip her jacket.

 

“But you had to go and judge me. You don't even _know_ me, but you assumed I was some kinda _creep_.” He hastily threw the front flaps of her jacket aside and slid a hand under her shirt, gripping her hip painfully and holding her down when she tried to jerk away.

It was still difficult to focus on anything, but Emily was very aware of what happening. As much as it felt she should be screaming, her mind just wasn't home at the moment. Her body felt like it was made of concrete and she didn’t even realize the hand squeezing her throat had been removed until she felt it pin her arms above her head. When did he get on top of her? The rough hand slid her shirt up, exposing her pale stomach to the cold open air, and then slowly traveled up her side before coming to stop over her breast.

 

“You're very beautiful.” He exhaled and Emily felt she might actually be sick to her stomach when she smelled the alcohol in his breath. She felt him lean down and plant a kiss over her collarbone before dragging a tongue over it. This was enough to earn a weak kick. He responded in kind by growling and suddenly biting down sharply on the sensitive flesh. Emily wanted to scream but all that came out was a pained gasp. Dread set it when she felt his erection pressing into her hips a hand began to slide under the waistband of her pants.

 

“Stop.” She groaned.

 

“I think you're afraid you’ll like it." He murmured as he hungrily grinded himself against her hip and brought his face down to her bust, biting the exposed top of her breast. 

 

“No- please. _Stop-_ ”

 

“One more word sweetie, and I promise I’ll bury this in your neck.” A cold sharp edge made contact with the bare skin on her side and Emily's breath quickened.

 

There was no way out now. This is how it's gonna end. Raped and stabbed to death in the woods. For the first time that night tears burned in her eyes and fell down the sides of her face and a sob emerged from her chest.

 

“I bet you’ll like it.” He teased the knife around her stomach and up to her bra.

 

After a brief pause he brought it back down to her stomach.

 

“I’m thinking….a smiley face. Or maybe a star? Or perhaps a the letters H and A.

 

“Wh-?”

 

“-I won’t repeat myself again.” He growled fiercely making her stop in her tracks. A few moments of silence passed and neither of them moved.

 

“...Letters it is. You might not want to move. Wouldn’t want to puncture an organ.”

 

Before she could even process his words the sensation of something sliding over her skin became apparent. First she felt the sensation of warm blood oozing over the chilled surface of her skin. Then a hot piercing pain. Her skin burned with the agonizing pain of being sliced open. She screamed, and screamed again, until her voice just couldn't do it anymore and transitioned into a series of raspy heaves. He must have only cut for twenty seconds but it felt like an eternity.

 

When he finally finished he wiped the knife on her shirt and leaned back a bit, admiring his handiwork.

 

“Hmm. My initials look pretty good on you.” Emily felt the grip over her wrists briefly weaken and saw an opportunity.

 

Without a second though she mustered up all of the strength left in her and jerked one of her legs to the side hard. The motion caused the knee pinning her leg down to slide off to the side and she used this opening to kick her leg up as roughly as she could. It connected with his groin. HARD. The man cried out and shrunk away from her, the pain making him fall over and roll to her side. She yanked her shirt down and a new rush of boldness fueled her legs to moved her away from him. As she moved, she felt her hand fall over the smooth surface of her phone and she gripped it tight, ready to use it to bash his skull in if he tried to approach her again.

 

“No-wai-” The man groaned painfully and tried to stand, wobbling from side to side. Her body suddenly kicked into overdrive and she willed herself to get up.

 

Emily stumbled at first catching herself on a tree. The pain from twisting her foot soon came back to her, and every action made her torso scream in refusal, but there was no time for that. Willing one foot after another she walked as fast as she could manage, eventually picking up the pace.

 

All of this pain wouldn't amount to anything if she let herself die here. She had to keep going. It couldn't all be for nothing.

 

“ **I’LL KILL YOU**!” A scream rang out from somewhere behind her, urging her to go faster.

 

Eventually she was running. It was almost pitch black and she stumbled multiple times over rocks and branches, even falling to her knees a few times, but she never once stopped running. The only thing she knew how to do now was breathe, and run. It was all their was now. Nothing else was important. For a moment she thought about where she was going. At this point it didn't even matter. Anywhere that was away from him was fine. There was more shouting behind her, but it sounded farther away this time and Emily had never felt so relieved in her life.

 

She was getting away. She would keep going no matter how far she went. No longer how long it took. She would live. 

 

What was probably only an hour of running felt like eternity. All there was now were trees for as far as the eye could see. There was little to no light, and worse it was beginning to rain. Emily just couldn't run anymore. The skin on her stomach stung and her ribs cried out in pain with every labored breath. If she didn't slow down she would pass out. And that possibility  _terrified_ her. Her run finally slowed to a slow limp but she never stopped completely. After a few minutes of trudging forward she saw what looked like a clearing ahead and a fleeting rush of hope flickered to life within her heart. She continued towards it and suddenly gasped when the soil gave out once again from under her feet. But this time there was no ground to hit when she fell forward.

It took three seconds of weightlessness for her to realize she was falling.

  
Falling straight down into darkness.


	4. Awkward Encounters of the Third Kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a neat song!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7qIlpV-uwo

_Drip._

 

_Drip._

 

_Drip._

 

The sensation of cold water rhythmically hitting her cheek slowly drew Emily out of unconsciousness. Then it was the cold.

 

It was _freezing._ Her now blood soaked clothes clung to her skin and it felt as if they were suffocating her.

 

_‘...Alright-...just breathe...’_

 

Emily willed her lungs to expand and took a breath. She regretted it instantly.

 

 _‘Ok. Bad idea._ **_Bad idea._ ** _Don’t breathe.’_

 

A wheeze echoed off the walls surrounding her and the pounding in her head became more evident as she struggled to remember how she wound up on the ground. Her mind was too foggy to recall anything. All there was, was the pain in her ribs and in her arm.

 

It felt like it was a good time to give up. Dying actually seemed preferable to this. She closed her eyes again and waited for sleep to come back to her. Waking up was obviously a mistake.

 

The water above her continued to drop and splatter onto her cheek, which was starting to irritate her. Didn’t it know she was trying to sleep? She waited for what felt like hours, maybe days. But death never came. In fact the longer she lie there the more her mind began to clear. And the more she became aware of how bad her condition was. Her vision slowly transitioned from blurred to crisp and that was enough to make her want to cry. Why couldn't she just sleep? Was it really too much to ask for?

 

The numb decision to move flickered across her mind and Emily decided to indulge in it. At this point it was either that, or die of thirst. And the thought of slowly dying in the dirt over the course of the next few days seemed much worse than moving a finger. She twitched her little finger at first and then gradually balled her hand into a fist.

 

_‘So far so good…’_

 

Her arm responded in kind with a dull pain that was still leagues better than what she was enduring in her side. Now feeling a bit more confident in her movements, Emily focused on trying to roll off of her side. Her left arm had been pinned under her body after it broke her fall and it felt incredibly numb. She hoped it wasn’t broken. Finally, with effort, she carefully shifted her weight onto her back, moving away from the droplets of water that pestered her face. She gazed up for the first time. Far above her was a faint glow, presumably from where she had tripped. How had she not died from that height? Emily ran a wobbly hand over the ground below her and turned her head to the side to observe the oddly plush ground.

 

Flowers.

 

A feeble chuckle left her. As much as her lungs disagreed with the laugh, she just couldn't believe it. Saved by a conveniently placed bed of flowers. Her hand came to rest on something smooth and cold and she gripped the object curiously and held it up to the light. It was her phone. The glimmer of hope she felt vanished as soon she realized the cover from the back was missing. And  the battery as well. She wondered if it had popped out when it hit the ground. She wearily slipped the phone into her pocket and made a mental note to look for the battery. A frog croaked from somewhere in the distance, pulling her from her thoughts. Emily decided she would lie in the soft cradle for a little bit longer. The view of water trickling over the edge above her was pretty nice. How long had it been raining now? There was no way to tell. For all she knew she could have been asleep for hours.

 

_‘...Alright...don’t be such a wuss. Time to get up.’_

 

As nice as it was to lie on the ground and contemplate death, in all honesty it was starting to bore her, and now that she was thinking at least half rationally, alarms began to go off in her head. The kind that screamed that something was **very** wrong with your body. The kind that _screamed_ at you to get up or you were going to **_die_** where you lie _._

 

With a shaky breath she began to consider where she would go. There was no hope of climbing out. Not in her condition, anyways. Glancing around, she saw that the cave continued into the mountain. That seemed like a brilliant way to get lost. She sighed reluctantly and decided it was time to try to get on her feet. There was no way she was going be able to sit up properly though. Her injured ribs and the muscles surrounding them would definitely not allow that. How could she have taken so much damage? It didn’t matter.

 

Emily decided to delicately roll over onto her stomach. From there she steadily used her good arm to push herself off the dirt and try to get her feet on the ground. It took four tries (and maybe a few strong tears) before she finally succeeded and got her footing. She then promptly doubled over and threw up the contents of her stomach.

 

And just when she thought things were bad enough.

 

With a quivering hand she pushed herself back up again and wiped her mouth.

 

“Oh god….This…. really s-sucks.” She stammered out loud in a shaky voice that sounded on the verge of sobbing. Any kind of clenching in her torso brought instant tears to her eyes and vomiting really took away what little strength she had left. The skin of her stomach burned for some reason and she lifted her shirt carefully to check the wound. There was lots of blood that hid the injury and made her shirt sticky and cold. It probably looked much worse than it was.

 

 _‘I must have cut myself when I fell…’_ She assumed, pulling the shirt back down. She felt a nagging fear that there was something more to be afraid of but she just couldn’t bring her mind to dwell on it. There was no time to think about anything else.

 

Scanning the cave around her she noticed there actually seemed to be a…..light? The thought of someone being down here with her suddenly gripped her heart tight and Emily felt an icy terror slam into her chest.

 

‘ _Why am I so scared suddenly…?’_

 

She gripped her wounded arm tight and held it close to her middle. Pushing the fear down, she began to walk towards the faint light. It was a good thing if someone was down here. Right?

 

 It led her into an opening that turned left and Emily peeked over the corner to see what looked like a stony hallway. Moss and vines covered the bricked floor and Torches lined the wall and continued down the darkening hall. They were gloomy and it looked as if they were slowly dying out. The last thing she expected to find here was some sort of structure. She began to feel thankful for the fact that there was at least some kind of human presence here.

 

She leaned against the wall and began her journey towards the unknown. The idea of taking one of the torches crossed her mind but she doubted she would even be able to pick it up in her state. She continued down the hall as her heart pounded in her ears once again and this brought her to ponder on whether she could have a serious head injury. It _was_ a pretty long fall... Was it possible for people with brain damage to wonder if they had brain damage?

 

The hallway turned and split off into different directions frequently. It was appearing to grow dimmer and she began to consider turning back when a sudden sound reached her ears.

 

“ _Meow~_ ”

 

Emily stopped in her tracks and squinted into the dim room. What was a cat doing here?

 

“...”

 

_“Ribbit~”_

 

No. A frog. ‘ _I guess I do have brain damage.’_ She thought bitterly and continued to the next hallway.

 

_“Ribbit~”_

 

Okay, that one was pretty loud. She entered the next room and her eyes fell on the thing responsible. Well, _thing’s._ Before her were the two biggest frogs she had ever seen in her life. She wasn’t even sure frogs could get that big. They sat there very leisurely and Emily wasn't even sure if they were aware of her presence.  She slowly stepped around them with the intention of leaving, careful not to move too fast and frighten them into running. Or worse, potentially attacking. Apparently they were even more lazy than they looked because they didn't even _bother_ trying to move out of the way. It was unsettling to say in the least. Most frogs probably would have hopped away by now. She paused in thought for a moment and stopped in front of one, leaning over with the intention of getting a better look at the second frogs face.

 

_"The flowers are nice this time of year-"_

 

“ **WHAT THE FU** -” Emily instantly jerked back and fell painfully onto her rear. She looked around wildly knowing that of course there was no way the voice came from frogs in front of her.

 

“ _Who's there?_ ” She stammered. There wasn't a soul in the room.

 

“...”

 

Her eyes fell back onto the pair of frogs, feeling their stares on her. She noticed they were watching her intently. One of them was blinking curiously, it’s eyelids closing and opening in a lazy mismatched way.

 

“ _Is it her~?_ ” The first frog queried.

 

“...Oh god...Did you just…. _Oh my god_ …” Emily sputtered and slid back further until she hit the wall and pulled her knees into her chest, not caring that the action pained her. “I’ve lost it. I’m actually dying. I’m going to die a crazy person…” She stammered. There was a pause between the two frogs and the first one twitched impatiently.

 

“ _Is it her~?_ ” The first frog asked again.

 

 _“No, she's much too large~ ._ ” The second frog finally answered.

 

“What...?”

 

 _“Yes...Much too old~.”_ The first frog agreed with an odd jiggle.

 

“ _Excuse me_ ?” For hallucinations they were being pretty rude. She wasn't _that_ old. “Ok. You know what? I’m not responding to this.” She decided with a final huff, refusing to cooperate with what was obviously a side effect from hitting her head.

 

“ _You just did~_.”

 

“ _No_ , I didn’t.” She snapped, using the wall to balance herself and climb back to her feet. “I was merely stating that out loud. Not to anyone particular in the roo- **NO...** I said I wasn’t doing this.”

 

Emily forced herself to tear her eyes away from the green pair in front of her and limped out of the room into the next hallway.

 

“. _..She was rude~_ ”

 

_“.....Perhaps we should have told her the way out~?”_

 

There was a brief lull between the chubby duo before they both answered in unison.

 

_“Naah~”_

 

Despite the disturbing image of two talking frogs fresh in her mind, Emily remained determined to keep going. If she was going to die, it was going to be with dignity and far,far, away from any chattering aquatic creatures. Finally the next room came into view and she desperately wished that this endless maze of rooms would stop _somewhere_. She trudged into yet another doorway and ventured into the room. An involuntary groan left her when she was met with yet another frog. This time however it was alone.

 

“ _Ribbit~........Nice day isn't it~?”_ It chirped.

 

“It’s night.”

 

“ _Your refusal to leave things as they are will lead to your demise……...Ribbit~”_

 

“...Okay... I don't know how to respond to that.”   Emily sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

 

“...”

 

Emily exhaled once again to collect herself before taking a calm step forward. “Look, If you're going to be a talking frog you could at _least_ tell me something useful. Like the way out of here for example?”

 

“...”

 

“... _.Nice night, isn’t it~?_ ”

 

“...I don’t know what I expected...I’m leaving now.” She informed the frog firmly and continued to the next hallway. The next three rooms were empty which was relieving. Hopefully whatever was happening to her head was finally over?

 

“hi.”

 

“ **JESUS.”** Emily shrieked and jumped away from the quiet voice that felt as if it came from from behind her ear. She lost her footing and fell back down onto her bottom once again. It was becoming a tiring habit.

 

“oh no…i scared you didn’t i …. i was afraid that would happen…”

 

A transparent ghost was hovering over her. It seemed upset by her reaction.

 

“are you okay? i didn’t think you would fall over. that was very dramatic of you….oh no, that was rude wasn’t it...”

 

Emily gaped in shock at the apparition in front of her. She absentmindedly lifted her arm and put her hand through the apparition.

 

“You’re...see through?” She stammered and wiggled her fingers experimentally.

 

“uh….yes…..this is very awkward.”

 

 **“Oh**.  _shit_ , sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Emily blurted out and yanked her arm back. “I was kinda ...um, in shock. There's no way you can actually be real…”

 

“it's ok i guess. if it makes you feel better i wish i wasn’t real either….oh no, was that weird….”

 

Was it crazy to feel guilty about accidentally insulting your delusions?

 

“Uh....Where did you.. _come from_?” She asked. Her heart was still pounding in her chest from the startle caused by its sudden appearance.

 

“well ...i was floating down the hall when i noticed you walking the same way as me. i thought about going around you, but i didn't want to be rude so i just stayed behind you hoping you would  eventually turn another way and not notice me.”

 

“You were behind me this entire time?”

 

“uh...yea…you kept going the same way and the farther we walked i kept thinking to myself, “how long should i wait until it's necessary to say something?” The spook sighed and continued gloomily, “but you just kept going, and going, and after a while i was afraid i was being creepy so i said hi.”

 

The thought that something had been right behind her the whole time without her knowledge made her shiver. Emily couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. With a ghost of all things. The phantom must have noticed her sudden apprehension judging by what it said next.

 

“oh no...i made it more weird didn’t i. sorry. i’ll just leave.”

 

“ **No!** ” She yelled a bit louder than intended. She raised her hands raised instinctively when she noticed the ghost flinch away from her tone. “ _Sorry_! Sorry, It’s just...been a long night.”

 

“its ok. i would help you get up but i don't have hands.”

 

“It’s fine.” She grunted and used the wall to support her weight as she stood up. She was actually starting to like having someone to talk to. Even if that someone probably wasn’t real.

 

“you don’t really look so good…..” The ghost observed before quickly adding. “uh- not that you look bad. just not really good. oh no. was that too blunt?”

 

“No, you’re right.” She grimaced. “I’m actually really hurting right now and I’m very desperate to get out of here.”

 

“oh...i could show you how to leave if you want. uh and i do know of some people that might be able to help you if you with the whole...blood...thing...they are kind of like acquaintances....well actually i don't really know them that well. i just kind of live near them. its alright.”

 

“Really?” She breathed. “That would be incredible. These uh…’ _people_ ’. Are they like you…? Or are theeey…”

 

“their alive.”

 

“Oh. Good.” She hummed and felt a little guilty. “Sorry…”

 

“its ok. it’ not so bad. i’d rather be dead than alive….the exit is this way by the way...” The ghost implied timidly and floated past her, hardly making eye contact through the entire conversation. She followed eagerly as they moved and decided to speak up after a few awkward minutes.

 

“I’m Emily, by the way.”

 

“oh. i forgot to introduce myself. oh no.” The spook fretted and stopped in its tracks. Emily noticed it was starting to sweat. Great.

 

“It’s ok. Really. You can do it now if you want.”

 

“ok. i’m Napstablook.” The ghost turned to greet her. “i would shake your hand but-”

 

“You don’t have hands.”

 

“you’re very perceptive.” Napstablook stated genuinely.

 

“Uh...thanks.”

 

They reached the end of the hallway with the options to go left or right.

 

“right this way.”

 

Finally there might actually be a chance for her to leave this musty place. It was starting to make her feel closed in. She stopped and waited for the ghost choose a direction. But they didn’t.

 

Napstablook continued forward and phased right through the stone wall, disappearing from sight.

 

Emily stared in shock at the wall for a good ten seconds.

 

She honestly didn’t know what she expected.

 

After the disappearance of her “guide,” Emily chose to go left. Another twenty minutes later of walking she was exhausted and it became very apparent that the way she chose was, in fact, a dead end. Reluctantly she turned and tread slowly back to try the other route. It felt like she was walking for eternity. Any kind of life she had before falling into this hell was distant and hazy and it felt like it had been years since she had fallen, when realistically, it was just yesterday she had been....at work? It confused her too much to think about it.  She hardly had enough strength in her body to be excited when she noticed a flickering light ahead. She approached what looked like a house built into the surrounding ruin. Could these be the people the timid (and questionably real) ghost had told her about?

 

The sight of such a cozy home filled her with….something? Right now she was too tired to tell.

 

She stumbled up to the dimly lit porch and was surprised to find the door was unlocked. She wondered if this meant there were people inside but upon entering the house it became obvious no one was home. The house was dark and she had to use her hands as a guide as she looked for a light switch. When there was none to be found she walked further in and suddenly felt her foot kick a table leg. Running her hands over the tables surface, she sensed what felt like paper and a few long cylinder like objects. Her hand came to rest over the cool metal surface of a lantern and she sighed in relief. The thought that someone could jump out of the shadows any moment had begun to creep up on her, so any light was welcome. She turned the switch on the side and the room flooded with a dim, yellow artificial light. The bulb was dying it seemed, much to her dismay. The room she was in appeared to be a living room and she wondered who it could belong to as she scanned the area. Whoever they were, they seemed like comfortable people. Two cushy chairs sat next to the fireplace with books stacked neatly next to them. The table was covered with crayons and colorful drawings on white paper of what looked like animals and yellow flowers.

 

Emily felt strange as she examined the room around her. It felt too much like she was intruding into someone's lives. But it's not like she had much of a choice, right? She made her way down a hallway and gently knocked on the first door she came across. After a few moments of silence she slowly turned the knob and pushed open the door. Stuffed toys were neatly lined up on shelves and a dresser stood opposite of the door. Her eyes glanced over an empty bed with a plush quilt over it.

 

 _‘I guess there really is no one home.’_ It was a shame considering she just didn't have it in her to go any farther. Emily walked over to the empty bed and slumped down onto the mattresses corner. She was absolutely exhausted and her ankle was absolutely killing her. It was relieving to finally take some weight off of it. The room was quiet and the lanterns low light began to fade and flicker as the bulb died. Emily set the lantern aside and became aware of the phone she still had that sat in her pocket. A wave of regret washed over her when she realized she never even tried to find the battery. Oh, well. It didn’t matter anymore. She wasn’t sure when she made the decision to lay down on the soft cushion. A few seconds later she her mind teetered on the edge of unconsciousness and she fell off into a dreamless slumber.

 

Sometime later a small white ghost passed through the door of the small room. The spook studied the sleeping figure for a moment and quietly wondered if it would be rude to wake them.

 

With a sigh the ghost turned and went back the way it came.

  
  
  
  



	5. A Dream Can Be a Funny Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a calm little song to listen to while you read! I always try to find songs I think at least relate to the chapter in some way. x) Its more fun that way.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I_cvI9n2Ew

"..."

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"Hey dad?"

 

"Yep?"

 

"Why won't this stupid thing _work_?" Emily complained. She aggressively punched the small radio repeatedly with her small fist. The assertive action made water fall forward from her rain hat and drip downwards onto her hands.

 

The rain wasn't as bad as before, now. It made the woods smell like damp wood and dirt. She liked it that way.

 

"Woah, woah, calm down there, bug! It's not broken." A comforting voice chuckled and took the small purple box from her hands.

 

"Then whats wrong with it?"

 

Her brown, rabbit-styled rain boots dragged over the forest floor in a deflated kind of way. One of the rubber rabbit ears on top of her right boot snapped off as a result. She huffed and stuffed it down into her shoe, deciding to fix it with glue next time instead of scotch tape. 

 

"Well, you see...The farther you get from a radio station, the weaker the signal gets. The radio waves stretch out the farther they travel. That makes it harder to understand when it gets picked up by a radio. Hence..." He turned the radio up as an example, and a dull static noise momentarily breached the air. As they walked past mossy trees oddly placed bushes, squirrel ahead suddenly scurried up a tree, causing a bird to shriek loudly and burst from it's branches. Emily watched the bird flay off as she nervously lingered closer to her protector and grabbed his pinky finger. It was beginning to get dark but thankfully they were already on their way home to a warm fireplace. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

 

"Oh...So how do you fix that? I wanna be able to hear my tunes when I go exploring." She sulked.

 

"A better radio wouldn't hurt." He answered. He turned it over in his hand and inspected the flower stickers and brightly colored bandaids that decorated its scraped sides. "This _is_ a kids radio after all. They aren't exactly built to be very good."

 

"Maybewe could try to build a better one then?"

 

"I don't know bug, that could take awhile, and you don't exactly have the best attention span." He teased and handed the toy back to her.

 

"Do to!" She snickered and shoved the radio back into her pink raincoat.

 

"Tell you what. You quit slacking in English, and I promise we'll try to build one. But only if your grades improve."

 

Emily considered this for a moment.

 

"Hmm. Deal!"

 

"Its probably not gonna be a very good radio, though, just warning."

 

"I don't care~!" She sung as she jumped down into a puddle, effectively splashing water all over them. "It'll be fun!"

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"..."

“.....-Look, just cause I’m _practically_ blind don’t mean I can't follow directions, just let me worry about the walking here bud-…”

 

“...”

 

“...-Hey! You’re the one who said you was too scared to carry them, so don't go complainin' about who might drop who here-.....!”

 

 _‘....What?’_ This wasn't something Emily had remembered ever happening.

 

Voices faintly trickled in and out between her brief bouts of consciousness. Any pleasant memories that were comforting her suddenly slipped away. The swaying movement of gravity pulling her body to and fro gave Emily the impression she was being carried.

 

“...-of course I have to do all the work. “Hey, make the blind dog do all the work! It’s not like he’s busy or anything! ” A grumble reverberated from the chest her shoulder was being held against. “I better be getting a raise in treats for this...”

 

The obvious sense to communicate didn’t really cross her mind. In fact, not much of anything was happening in Emily's mind at the moment. Breathing seemed to be the only thing her brain was communicating, and she wasn't even sure if that was even registering.

 

“Hold up, I think they’re trying to say something.”

 

‘ _Okay, apparently something is getting out...’_

 

“Oh. Never mind. I think they just stopped breathing for a second. Uh, maybe we should pick up the pace.”

 

The icy bite of snow coming to rest on her cheek lulled her back into sleep.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

"..."

 

“...-Place her on the table here," A voice ordered hastily, "Alphys, please fetch some sterile gloves and any medical supplies you can find. In the meantime, I'll try determine her responsiveness.”

 

A bright flash suddenly erupted in her vision and then disappeared, only to reappear a moment later. It was extremely irritating, and if she were able, she would have swatted the prying lights away.

 

“Well…?”

 

“Her pupils both seem to be constricting receptively...” Fingers ghosted over her wrist and held down onto the area just over her pulse.

 

“...And that means….?”

 

“It means, so far at least, that there is no evidence of serious damage to the brain that would hinder its ability to send out proper responsive signals to the body….” There was a pause. “Has she spoken a word since you found her? Anything at all?”

 

“Afraid not, we haven't heard a peep from her since the spook showed us where to find her. Uh, so is it really a…? Ya'know...”

 

“It does appear to be a human, female. Though, this is the worst shape I’ve ever seen one in…”

 

Emily felt like she was straining to hear voices from underwater. There wasn’t enough of her brain awake to be concerned about her shirt being cut and peeled away.

 

“Where did you say she was found?”

 

“In the ruins. The spook said they found her wandering around down there. Said she was lost and lookin’ for a way out.”

 

“And there were no other humans in the area?”

 

“Uuh, no, not that we saw…Why?”

 

Emily became ambiguously aware of her hand being raised and turned over in someone's grasp. A finger lightly ran over her knuckles. “These wounds seem to be defensive. You may want to send a squad into the ruins just in case someone else is down there. Be careful though, whoever they are, it would appear they are aggressive.”

 

“Damn... Alright, sure. I’ll let greater dog know we’re heading back.”

 

“Thank you for your service, Doggo. I’ll have a talk with the king about that raise.”

 

 As much as Emily wanted to try harder to understand the conversation floating in the air above her, she couldn't help falling back into the murky waters of sleep. It was another ten minutes before her consciousness resurfaced, getting stronger each time she awoke. Every time she went under it felt like years could have gone by. She hoped this time she would be able to at least speak. Once again shifting voices began to resurface around her.

 

“...”

 

“...-M-Maybe it was an animal attack?”

 

“Unless animals evolved to have elongated fingers and opposable thumbs over the past few centuries, I highly doubt that. No, these bruises were made by human hands. Not to mention the obvious bite wound.”

 

“Who would do this? And to there own kind?”

 

“I hardly find it surprising given their nature.”

 

Something damp smoothed over the damage of her stomach making the flesh sting. A towel it probably. The cloth left her skin feeling cold and tingly in the open air.

 

 _‘......Why can’t I speak?”_ Emily was starting to get the feeling she was trapped in her own body. Before she could even form a proper thought she always found herself drifting off again and again every time.

 

_‘Is this what dying is like?’_

 

If so it was taking an incredibly long time.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

It was pain that brought Emily out of it this time. It wasn’t too awful, but it was strong enough to make her aware of that her arm was being moved. A soft grip extended it outwards and she felt hesitant fingers running down the length of her arm, squeezing ever so slightly in odd places.

 

“Broken?”

 

“Uh, j-judging by the swelling and the bruising I would say...yea. Definitely.”

 

“I’ll retrieve some ice and find something to secure it with until we can properly tend to it. At the moment I think our primary concern is the wound on her torso.”

 

“A-alright. I would also expect at _least_ a fractured rib. It looks like she somehow took a pretty hard hit to her side.”

 

“Agreed. Lets hope the wound on her head isn't half as serious. Human brains seem to be very delicate things. It's imperative we test her cognitive functions as soon as she wakes up.”

 

The sound of footsteps quickly growing distant echoed in the room and Emily heard a sigh somewhere to her right.

 

“If she ever does...” A female voice said quietly.

 

The person holding her arm gently set it down to her side. Not another sound was made and Emily wondered if they were still there. Judging by the silence it didn't seem so.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“Uh-These lacerations are gonna d-definitely gonna need stitching…”

 

The annoying thing about falling asleep was that she never really noticed it happening. Emily felt like she was only ever in a constant state of waking up. The only thing that really brought her out of it were the voices near her, and when they decided to poke annoyingly in the wrong place.

 

“Let me see…Hmm. You're right, these are much deeper than they looked. Although, It certainly looks _much_ better now that the skin surrounding it is clean. It appeared far worse when she first arrived.” A smooth tone affirmed. A man?

 

 _‘...Who are these people?’_ It was a nice change to finally be able to process somewhat rational thoughts. 

 

“Yep! That stuff was a real hassle to clean. There shouldn't be any foreign substances in _or_ around it now. But, uh, I think you’d do a way better job than me at the stitching, what with your, uh... slender-ish hands. These stubs are just too c-clumsy for things like this.”

 

“I assure you your hands are perfectly-”

 

“-A-also stabbing a person's skin with sharp needles kinda makes me dizzy.”

 

 _‘Needles?’_ The word resonated in her head as if someone had yelled it straight into her ear with a megaphone. Alright, time to wake up.

 

“Ah. Very well then.”

 

“I mean-, I’m cool if it's just like...dealing with cuts or bruises, but with needles, the way you gotta push it through the skin and all is just-” The shaky voice stopped rambling and instead audibly shuddered.

 

 _‘Needles Emily, their talking about needles, wake up,_ **_wake up, wake up.’_ **

 

“It's entirely understandable.”

 

“How does it not bother you?” The nervous voice inquired. The fact that the conversation above her continued to go on idly while she was practically screaming under her skin was really beginning to piss her off.

 

“I suppose it's just not as disturbing to me." He stated simply. "Well, It appears there is hardly anymore blood flowing from the wound. This is presumably the most ideal time to close it. Ready?”

 

“Yea.”

 

“Excellent. Let's begin.”

 

‘ _Nononono-’_ Even in the state she was in, her brain still seemed to have enough sense to react to one of her most deep rooted fears.

 

“O-ok. I’ll keep the swabs ready for when she-...Uh....Gaster. I think she's moving.”

 

Emily's hand had managed to ball up into a fist. Not a bad start, but she was actually trying to focus most of her energy into forcing her eyes open. It wasn’t very effective.

 

“Miss? Can you hear me?” The male voice began to pry.

 

Why was it so hard just to open one's eyes?

 

“If you can hear my voice, please make a fist with your hand again.”

 

Was that a command? Emily strained to think for a few moments as she considered the request. Then, slowly, she did as she was told. Anything if it meant no needles. 

 

“Very good. Can you open your eyes?”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“Uh...I-I think she just went back under.”

 

“...Shame. Perhaps she wasn't reacting to us at all?”

 

“I don’t know...I mean, she did move her hand.”

 

There was a curious hum. “It did seem deliberate.” He agreed. Suddenly something sharply tapped her cheek twice. The shrill flicking sensation was enough to infuriate her. Whoever this was, Emily decided they were getting punched in the face. One of her eyelids was suddenly forced open and the vision that flooded in was impossibly bright. “Hm. I don’t see any more signs of alertness... Let’s get started on this wound. I don't want to be stitching it while she comes to again.”

 

“A-Alright.”

 

A hand braced itself gently around the wound on her stomach.

 

Her brain kicked into overdrive.

 

“H-Hey! Look out!”

 

Emily eyes finally flew open and she abruptly threw her body backwards, away from the shocked figures standing over her. The room was spinning and bright, and it's colors didn't seem to be staying in there respective places. But somehow she was able to perfectly zero in on the curved silver needle and thread that was being held in a pallid hand. She roughly grabbed the wrist of her attacker and twisted it back _hard_ , wrenching it away from her body. Holding it with a death grip she proceeded to throw her other fist forward in the hopes of landing a hit, but the dark figure immediately took hold of it with his other hand. Her actions almost threatened to send her falling off the side of table, but the firm grip that seized her arm kept her upright. 

 

 **“** ** _DON’T_ ** **.** ” Emily growled fiercely. It felt like it was the first word her throat had spoken in years. 

 

“Calm down.” A man's voice reasoned coolly. “We are only trying to- Alphys, _stop_ -!”

 

A small sting hit her arm and Emily snapped her head to the side to see a syringe sticking out of her shoulder. Something yellow and out of focus retreated backwards instantly.

 

“I h-had to! She might have tried to kill you!”

 

“What-...?” Emily stuttered. The sting turned into a burning sensation that spread up her arm and Emily became vividly aware of what had just transpired.

 

“Nooo…. **No** , **no.** ” She moaned when the dreaded feeling of dullness started to flood through her and her limbs grew heavy again.

 

“ _Damn it_ .” The dark figure cursed under his breath. The grip she had over his wrist melted away as her consciousness ebbed and her thoughts went from panicked to incoherent. He slipped his freed arm behind her back and carefully situated her back down onto the table. “She’s going to be out for _hours_ now...”

 

“Well a-actually only about two hours.”

 

She caught a glimpse of the figures face poised over her and assumed the sedative must of done a number on her eyes too. Either that or she had been abducted and beamed aboard a spaceship.  A few seconds later she was dead to the world.

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

The light to her room flicked on harshly and roused Emily from her comfortable slumber. It flooded the room with a bright flash and she quickly retreated into her covers.

 

"Come on bugs, 7:00 a.m., time to get up." 

 

Maybe if she didn't respond he would go away.

 

"Up and at em, up and at em." Her father chirped obnoxiously and knocked loudly on the wooden door whilst flicking the lights on and off. Emily loudly groaned and threw the covers off sharply in an aggressive statement.

 

"Alright, alright, don't shoot." He nagged defensively, taking the hint to stop with the antics. "Come on, I can't be late for work and you can't be late for school again."

 

With a sigh she slumped out of bed and slowly dressed. In the kitchen she sat and chewed her cereal slowly as her father rushed about as he normally did, finding misplaced keys and papers. He jogged over and planted a brief kiss atop her head before rushing towards the door.

 

"Don't forget to brush your hair. And if you miss the bus again I won't be able to drive you to school this time, got it?"

 

"Got it." She nodded.

 

"Oh, and say hi to that nice teacher lady for me!" He shouted as he rushed out the door.

 

" _Ew_ , no!" She yelled back and dropped her spoon in disgust. He laughed heartily and it was the last thing she heard before he closed the door behind him.

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

The next time she awoke, the air was much more peaceful. No crazy people with needles, no one rushing about or poking and prodding her.  The room was much dimmer now and there were no longer an annoying flurry of voices surrounding her. Just stillness. Only the quiet hum of an empty room. However, it didn't take long for the memories of the past night to trickle back in from her subconscious. Needless to say, it did not sit well. She began to feel extremely nauseous and groaned while attempting to roll onto her side. She preferred not to choke on her own vomit if it came to that. Strangely, she found one of her wrists seemed to be secured tightly to the side of the bed rail.

 

 _‘That's...weird...’_ She didn’t remember being in a bed. She also didn't remember wearing what felt like a hospital gown.

 

“Oh my god. Oh my god- you're awake.” A voice suddenly panicked. Emily realized it came from somewhere in the room and not in fact from her own head.

 

“Uh, how do you...feel? I guess?”

 

Emily pretty much ignored the voice questioning her, and only focused on struggling to angle her face away from the bed and down towards the floor.

 

Alphys became very alarmed at this. After all, it did appear she was intentionally trying to faceplant onto the floor. Were humans always this destructive?

 

“What are you-?”

 

“-gonna be...sick.” Emily mumbled. She gave up trying to pull out of her restraint and rested her cheek onto the cool mattress just at the edge of the bedside. The chilly surface made her aware of just how warm the room was. Her entire body felt sweaty and shaky.

 

“ ** _OH!_ ** Oh-god. Ok, ok, one second!” Alphys sputtered and lurched from her chair to grab a bucket. She rushed over to the bed and handed the pail into Emily's now desperately outstretched hand. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the bucket she promptly sat up and threw up what little fluids she had in her stomach. Emily groaned pathetically between shallow breaths from the pain of having to clench her abdominal muscles. Alphys hesitantly reached out and placed an awkward pat on her back. With one last dry heave Emily finally gave in and laid back down. She wrapped her free arm around the bucket, hugging the cool plastic surface against her cheek, not caring she had just used it to puke in.

 

“Uh...You should probably try not to use that arm as much.” Alphys advised timidly. “We made a splint for it, but it's really only until we c-can make a better one.” She cautiously lifted her hand off the girls back when she realized she was unwisely within arms reach of them. The distance between her and the human wasn't ideal, but deep down she really doubted that they had enough strength in them to do much of anything at the moment, much less try to murder her. Also, she may have felt a little bad for her.

Okay, actually she felt really bad for her. It was her idea to secure the human to the bed in the first place, but now it just seemed unnecessary. After a few moments Alphys grew concerned. It had been awhile since the girl had moved.

 

“Um...are you...awake?”

 

“Mmhmm…” Emily mumbled weakly.

 

“Oh.” A few moments passed and Alphys stood stiffly by the bed wondering what to say next. “Should I, uh...take this?” She inquired. There was no response at first. Then slowly she unraveled herself from the pink container and released it, only to curl back into herself when it was taken. Her arm was still uncomfortably fastened behind her but she didn’t care. Any discomfort was worth escaping the heat that her body had accumulated in the sheets where she had previously slept.

 

Alphys guardedly retrieved the bucket and walked across the room where she set it it a sink. She quickly ran a cloth under cold water and returned to the human, setting it slowly onto her forehead, trying very hard not to alarm her.

 

“Thanks.” Emily muttered.

 

“Uh…Sure? I mean- you're welcome.” The sign of gratitude caught Alphys off guard. She lifted a small plastic cup with a straw up to the human's lips and urged her to drink.

 

“You’re dehydrated. You need fluids.”

 

Emily took a small uninterested sip from the straw at her mouth, not bothering to even open her eyes. Alphys disapproved of the lack of effort, but decided not to push it and set the cup aside.

 

“We do have medicine but we, um, wanted to wait for you to wake up before we t-tried to give you anything. Are you allergic to anything? Specifically any kind of fever reducers or pain relievers?” Alphys inquired.

 

Emily made a sleepy grunt to convey a “no.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Alphys began to get a very bad idea as she stared at the strap of leather securing the human's uninjured arm to the bed. The position she was in sure didn't look very comfortable. With an apprehensive sigh, Alphys walked around the bed and began to unfasten it. Emily mumbled questionably in response to the movement.

 

“Just- **_don’t-_**   try anything weird...ok?” It was more of a plea than a warning. The strap fell to the side of the bed frame with a clink. 

 

“Or what...you'll stick me again?” Emily grumbled as she pulled her now numb arm over to her front.

 

“Heh heh, uuuh…You remembered that, huh?” Alphys chuckled and fiddled with her hands nervously. She watched carefully for any sudden signs of aggression.

 

“Relax…sheesh. Some people just don’t approve of being injected with foreign substances _without_ their consent.” The ability to form a coherent sentence was something Emily had gravely missed. She swore in that moment to never take it for granted again.

 

“It was only a mild sedative! To, uh, calm you down. O-obviously. You seemed to be in shock at the time.” Alphys sputtered an explanation and then paused worriedly. “In fact you still seem a little out of it so please try not to move as much. Drink some more  _water_ , maybe…?” Alphys began to amble back around to face her new patient.

 

“Mm’fine.” Emily mumbled faintly. Drinking was too much of a chore.

 

“Actually, you are very, not fine.”

 

“What?” 

 

“I DON'T MEAN, like- I don't mean in the “not attractive” kinda way! I meant in the whole, physical health kinda way….you know, like, physically. Oh god.” Alphys threw her hands up to her face and rubbed her eyes tiredly behind her glasses, cringing at the unnecessary speech she had just added to their conversation so far.

 

“What.” Emily stated flatly and weakly lifted her face off the mattress to face the person in question. “I know what you meant, I was just asking-”

 

Emily's voice died off instantly and Alphys became very alarmed at the stunned expression that altered the human's features.

 

“You’re...You’re not-...” Emily stuttered. It was the first time she had gotten a proper look at her caretaker and she was suitably shocked.

 

“ _Oh_... **wow**. Okay, I thought you already saw me, like, a _long_ time ago. Holy crap, did you-…? Did you think I was a human? This whole time? Wow, that must be pretty...confusing...for you...” The continuous stare from the human was really beginning to unnerve her. “Uuh. This is getting really uncomfortable. Please say something.” Alphys took a small, and hopefully not too noticeable, step backwards.

 

“You’re a... lizard?”

 

Alphys wasn't really expecting that kind of response. Murder was actually the response she was pretty much expecting.

 

“What? No...I’m actually, uh,  monster in origin...but if that makes you feel better I guess you can... _pretend_? That I’m a lizard?” Alphys suggested tensely, not physically capable of maintaining eye contact anymore. It was just way too intense. Emily's eyes shifted from the creatures round glasses, to her small clawed yellowish hands, to the small white lab coat she was wearing, and then back to her face. Her expression then went from that of awe to disinterest in a split second.

 

“...Ok.” Emily suddenly answered distantly. Making sure not to put too much weight on her broken arm, she slowly began to turn away from the skittish creature. This action really reminded her just how much it hurt her ribs to move even in the slightest, but it had to be done. After she carefully came to rest on her other side she slowly grabbed the covers pulled them up, wrapping herself in them and hugging them close to her body. It hurt a lot to do so, but she felt ultimately it was worth it.

 

Again, not the reaction Alphys was expecting.

 

“That's all? Just an “ _Ok_?” Really?” This concerned Alphys a great deal.

 

“How are you feeling again, by the way?” Alphys rushed around to the other side again and leaned forward ever so slightly. She tried to get a better look at the face now buried in the mess of white sheets.

 

“Specifically in the, um, head region. Cause we are pretty sure you hit your head fairly hard and you have been acting kind of um…strange? Like, not that you're weird or anything, just that you’ve been kinda reacting, uh-...weirdly, to things… **Wait** , you're not going to sleep again are you?”

 

Emily made a unintelligible mumbling sound that could really only be affiliated with the phrase, “I don't know,” lumped together into one lazy grunt.

 

“Okay...so when you _say that,_ do you mean you don't know how you _feel_ , or you don't know if you're going to _sleep?_ ”

 

She responded again with the same vague sound. Alphys gave a defeated sigh and stood dumbfounded as the human laid motionless before her. It seemed she wasn't interested in conversation anymore.

 

Emily waited but the lizard was still standing there and didn’t seem to be walking away.

 

“Who’s we?” Emily muttered reluctantly. She wasn’t really interested in the slightest, but if it spared her from the waiting silences, she’d take it.

 

“What?” Alphys piped up instantly.

 

“You said we. Who's we...” Emily was quickly losing the energy to entertain any more replies.

 

“Oh. My boss. Well and partner, t-technically. Uh, professionally, that is. It depends really."

 

"Is he a lizard, too."

 

"Uh, nope not really. He's a monster too though. Like me. I'm not actually a lizard. Um, anyways we were the ones here when you arrived and we both treated you. He’s a-actually the one who stitched the wound on your stomach. We’re one of the few monsters down here who have actually studied humans, biologically that is, but I’m no good when it comes to the really delicate stuff like that. Uh, anyways, getting off track here, he’s attending to some other work right now but he told me I was-...supposed to...Get him...” Alphys' rambling trailed off as a realization suddenly dawned on her.“ As soon as you woke up. Crap.”

 

“I think-...I remember something like that?” Emily pointed out ambiguously. Something about stitches seemed very familiar.

 

“Oh. Yeah, you kinda assaulted him.”

 

“Oh. Right.” Emily retreated even farther into the sheets. “ _Ow_ …” She grunted and settled into a less constricting position. “...Well.” She added plainly. “That's what he gets. Waving needles around like that.”

 

“Well, I’d hate to see what you’d do to me considering I literally stabbed you with one. Heh, heh...I, uh, probably shouldn't of reminded you of that…”

 

“S’fine. I’m too tired to care at the moment.”

 

Alphys studied the sighing lump in front of her and took a sharp breath.

 

“You seem to be taking this  ** _extremely_** well. Are you sure you don't feel lightheaded? Or perhaps you could possibly be having a delusional reaction from your fever?”

 

“I thought you said you were the human expert here." Emily stated sluggishly. "Besides,  _How,_ if I _were_  actually delusional, would I be able to tell if I were delusional or not. It’s kind of contradicting, don't you think? Wouldn't that require a more outside perspective to assume?”

 

“...I guess that’s a good point. But, uh, technically _your_ the human expert here now, what with the whole...human thing." Alphys briefly wondered it that was a little racist. She decided it probably wasn't. "...Well, can you at least recall what happened to you?”

 

“What do you mean?” Emily exasperated. “I fell.” All of these questions were really beginning to tire her out. 

 

“Well, I mean, we can tell you fell pretty bad, but I'm talking about the _other_ wounds. ” Alphys was beginning to sound like someone who was tip toeing around glass and it was starting to make Emily anxious. _‘What is she getting at?’_

 

“What ' _other '_  wounds? I fell down into a big ass hole in the ground after I was-…was…”

 

Come to think of it, Emily couldn't really recall what she was doing before she had stumbled into this circus. _‘Research…right?....Yea, that sounds right...._ ’

 

Alphys recognized the confusion that began to set into her features.

 

“You know what!?” Alphys suddenly cut in rather loudly and interrupted her train of thought. “It’s not really important right now! I’m sure it’ll all come back to you soon. Just know that, for the moment, you're safe. Okay? No one here wants to hurt you. Um. As long as you’re not...hurting them. That is.”

 

Emily took this in.

 

“...Alright. Thanks.” She responded quietly. Feeling gratitude to someone she barely knew left her feeling very conflicted. Despite how they looked they _did_ seem to want to help.

 

“I-it's cool.” There was another odd pause before she continued. Emily didn't have to look up to know she was being studied. “I need to um, check your stitches, before I go do something. So, don’t like, freak out or anything, okay? It's just, you’ve kinda moved around a lot since you woke up.” She was suddenly sounding suspiciously urgent to leave.

 Emily got the feeling it was something she’d said.

 

“Alright.”

 

After hastily inspecting the sutures, Alphys hurried towards the exit and stopped in the doorway.

 

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but I shouldn't be gone for too long. I still need to track down some IV’s since your body is severely lacking in fluids. We don't exactly have access to a lot of human medical equipment down here.” Emily didn’t bother fretting over the fact that she was apparently still underground. “When I get back we’ll talk about administering some medication for the pain. If you need anything urgent just press the button on the device to your left, okay?”

 

“...Alright.”

 

Alphys frowned at the humans seemingly defeated tone. It didn’t matter what their species had done in the past, seeing someone so crushed wasn't very pleasant.

 

“My names’ Alphys...by the way.” She stammered a bit too loudly and waited anxiously for a response. She assumed there would be no answer and turned to leave, until a quiet voice acknowledged her intention.

 

“Emily...Emily Stella.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place not too long after monsters were locked underground. Its been a little over 200 years now so keep in mind that at the moment, humans can be a bit of an unknown to most monsters.  
> Alphys is fun to write! She has yet to develop soul crushing anxiety from her future failed experiments, so its been interesting to write her in a way that's not her constantly putting herself down. Of course she's still pretty nervous at heart, I feel like that's something that will never really change about her.


	6. Long Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the delay! I'm back though and have chapters already lined up, ready to go! Enjoy!

Alphys ran as fast as her little padded feet could carry her. She didn’t really like the idea of leaving the human alone by themself for too long, but she doubted they even have the strength to do much of anything at the moment. The guard placed just outside of the door was also a small comfort.

 

Alphys stopped at door after door on her way down the labs halls, trying to find where her partner had run off to to do his research. She felt slightly annoyed that she didn’t find him where he told her he would be working. It was late at night and mostly everyone that worked in the labs had already retired for the night and went home, so she figured it wouldn’t be to hard to find him, since every empty room she came across had the lights shut off.

 

Along the way, she made a quick detour so that she could dig through a cabinet at one of their workstations. Inside she found even more materials for first aid, and more importantly an old box of sterile equipment for running an IV. Relieved, she placed it under her arm and quickly continued on her way.

 

Finally, she spotted a sliver of yellow light, gleaming through a half closed door towards the end of the hall. With a breath of relief she huffed over to it and practically slammed the door open.

 

“ **GASTER!** ”

 

Startled by her sudden entrance, Gaster shot up from his chair, knocking it backwards. Papers that had been suspended in the air around him just moments ago abruptly began to flutter and drift down to the floor in all different directions.

 

“Oh, _shoot-_ Sorry, sorry _!_ ” Alphys stammered, cringing visibly inwards as she watched the evenly organized research suddenly begin to fall and scatter onto the floor.

 

Anyone that was currently aware of the human's existence was on edge, so it was no surprise she startled him. What made it worse though was that it wasn’t the first time Alphys had caused his magic to falter during his research.

 

In fact it was the fourth now.

 

The third actually being a couple of weeks ago when she had tripped over a stool and sent a cup of ramen noodles flying through the air. He was able to use his magic to shield himself from the airborne chicken noodle assault that had sailed towards him, but at the cost of four large glass beakers and a white mug of coffee shattering onto the floor. After that one, Gaster began to jokingly claim that he had complete control over his magic until he started working with Dr. Alphys.

 All jokes aside, she found it extremely humiliating. Comedic relief wasn't her favorite role. And Alphys didn’t want to be that like one clumsy character that had little importance to the actual story-line. Whenever she would mention her screw ups though, her coworker Sans would usually tell her she was blowing it out of proportion.

Alphys stumbled forward and managed to grasp a paper out of the air just before it glided past her. Clutching the now crinkled paper she tried to compose herself with a quick breath.

  


“Sorry, I’m j-just _super_ spazzed out right now.” She stuttered. “I-It’s the human! She’s awake!”

  


“Awake?” Gaster quickly forgot his research.

 

He untangled the overturned chair leg from his own and quickly approached his colleague, standing over her almost invasively and examining her.

  


“Did she harm you?” He interrogated her hastily for answers when he could find no obvious signs of injury.

  


“What?” Alphys took a small step back, a little wierded out by his sudden scrutiny. She then became aware of the now obvious apprehension that covered his features, and realized she had made the situation look much more dire than it actually was.

  


“No! No-no-no!” She exclaimed rapidly, slapping an embarrassed hand onto her face. “Nothing bad happened! She was just really exhausted and a little out of it at first. She was pretty calm and a-actually seemed kinda grateful before I left? I don’t think she's dangerous, just confused-  _Whew._ ”

 

Alphys held up a finger and focused on taking another deep breath. With all of the running around and the long winded explanations, it felt like she was beginning to get a real workout. In the back of her mind, she noticed the immediate concern that Gaster had showed for her well being. She appreciated it, but ultimately decided it would be way too awkward to say that out loud. After a few seconds of catching her breath she continued her rant.

 

“Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if I didn't think it was safe to leave her alone while she was awake. Which I doubt she is anymore. She was already falling asleep by the time I left.” Alphys assured.

  
Gaster took in this new information with an almost doubtfully raised brow. Finally, he let out a quiet alleviated breath and retrieved the paper from Alphys’ now guiltily outstretched hand.

 

“That is certainly a relief.”

  


It was difficult to judge the character of someone who was hardly ever conscious. It was relieving to hear she seemed more docile than he previously thought. And, despite Alphys’ nervous and panicky tendencies, Gaster trusted in his partners judgment. He even noticed that she was even acting almost defensive over their new patient. Gaster wondered what the human had done while he was away to earn this small amount of fealty.

 

Perhaps Alphys really was just as soft-hearted as she seemed? Even if that was so, he knew she wasn't an idiot. Alphys, among a few others, is one of the most calculating and logical monsters he knows, even despite her sometimes lack of confidence.

  
Nevertheless, it was a very interesting observation. The sudden appearance of a human had raised Gaster’s previous curiosity of humankind to newer heights, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited at the possibility of performing an autopsy had the human died.

 

Like most monsters, so far Gaster had not seen many humans in his lifetime. That number was actually zero. The only info he knew was from what monsters could collect form mankind's waste that often flowed into the underground, and from Alphys' movies and shows.

 

This new development had him reminiscing on the many hours of conversations he had shared in the past with their King, Asgore, usually on the topic of humans and their nature. Despite the horrible position monster kind has been forced into for the last four centuries, give or take a hundred or so years, the King still held an impressively high opinion of humans. Even with all of the atrocities brought on by their kind, Asgore still swore by his belief that humans were marvelous species and capable of amazing things. A people the King had loved before the war, and still hopes to have peace with when monsters finally go free.

 

Gaster found it interesting that the Queen rarely had any comment on the matter. He assumed it was because she did not agree. The King had been a benevolent soul as long as Gaster had known him, and even long before. But he was as wise as he was kind and, judging by the stories of the war, twice as fierce.

 

For the moment, Asgore had ordered him, over a very short phone call, that he and Alphys were to bring the human back to full health using any resources necessary. Meanwhile, the king decided that he himself would search the ruins with a small squad for the possible aggressor. After all, the girl had been found sleeping in the bed that belonged to the Kings son. Events may have turned out very differently if the Kings family had been staying in the ruins at the time. 

 

Seeing that there was no reason for panic, Gaster took the luxury of gathering up his scattered research. He knelt down onto one knee and began collecting a papers off of the floor.

  


“I see.” He finally replied. “She was not aggressive? What did you find out?”

  


“Nope, no aggression. She seemed pretty wierded out when she saw I wasn’t a human, but she handled strangely well."

 

"How so?"

 

"She just kinda...shrugged it off." Alphys elaborated.

 

"Odd." He agreed. 

 

"Oh, and, she did remember the whole thing with the, uh, stitching.”

 

“Thats... unfortunate.”

  


“ _Yeeeeah_.” Alphys added in a long drawn out sigh, the memory of that incident still fresh in her mind. “She was kinda too tired to be mad or anything, though. Her words- not mine. So hopefully she won't try to murder you. Um, she woke up feeling nauseated and a-actually threw up. It was gross. But, I did get a look at her stitches before I left and they seemed intact. Her arm and ribs also seem to be c-causing her a lot of pain. Oh, and she also might be running a fever.”

  


“That's not good...” He muttered quietly. “...Were you able to ask about medication?” He inquired and set his papers neatly onto the table. Gaster leaned over the tabletop as he spoke and peered into a microscope that sat on the table in front of him. He was examining a blood sample before Alphys had barged in so unexpectedly. Two large battered books on human biology were lying open next the instrument. Many scribbled notes and papers were stuck between the pages.

 

Alphys shuffled over to the table and curiously rested her hands onto the tabletop, setting the box aside and clicking her claws up and down eagerly over tables smooth surface.

 

“Well, she told me she wasn’t allergic to anything, but I couldn’t even get her to drink some water, so I don’t think giving her medicine is gonna be easy.” The microscope made a faint clicking noise as Gaster gradually turned a knob on the side.

  


“She won’t drink?” This statement made him to glance up from the scope with a peculiar look. “I assumed she would be feeling very dehydrated by the time she awoke.”

  


“Yea, me too. I don’t know why she wouldn't drink, but I didn’t push it. She seems pretty down, though. That could have something to do with it... I guess the sooner we run an IV line the better.” She declared and nudged the box pointedly.

 

“Ah, good. You found them. I asked Anders quite a while ago to try to locate them but he never reported back. I didn’t tell him what it was for, however. He must have assumed it was not urgent.”

 

“Uh, Yeah, I’m pretty sure Ander's just lazy.” Alphys jeered flatly, rolling her eyes at the mention of her least favorite coworker. “Anyways, hopefully she’ll trust us enough to let us use these. But uh, there’s another thing, something I’m kinda worried about…”

 

“...And that is…?”

  


Alphys scratched the side of her cheek, not sure how exactly to explain her concerns.

  


“Well...I , um, asked her about her injuries, you see. I was thinking, “Hey, maybe we can find out for sure if someone else was really down there!” I mean, there's obviously no way all of that was caused by a fall. But she was acting like that's exactly what happened. It’s almost as if she c-can’t really seem to recall what happened.”

  


“You think there may be some memory loss?” Gaster didn’t like the sound of this. If this was the case, it could be an alarming indication that theres something wrong with her brain.

  


“Well, when I _specifically_ asked about the other wounds, she insisted that they happened when she fell. And when she tried to tell me what happened before that, she started to look confused.”

  


Gaster considered Alphys’ depiction of the conversation for a moment .

  


“She may be lying.”

  


“...Lying about the injuries?” Alphys frowned. “Why would she would do that? I mean, we helped her.”

  


“We don’t know her situation. In fact, we don’t know anything about her. She may have a very good reason for lying.”

  


“I don’t know…” Alphys wringed her hands together and stared down at them hesitantly. “Her reactions seemed pretty genuine to me…I mean- if she really wanted to, she could've just tried to kill me and leave, right? Why waste time lying and playing along, or whatever?”

  


“Her injuries appear to be very severe, and we _are_ the only ones treating her for the moment. I doubt she would have much of choice but to allow us to do so, even if she didn’t want our help. ”

  


“I g-guess so...but, what if shes not plotting to kill everyone, and if it really is memory loss?”

  


“Then that would be very serious.” He answered while turning a knob on the microscope, changing the objective lens with a faint click. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the proper equipment to determine the extent of the injury to her head. Even if we do manage to bring her back to full health, if there is damage to the brain, it could have a permanent effect on her. Or it may not. The human brain is a very complex organ.”

 

“Yea, but- it could also be shock, though...right? Human minds k-kinda have an odd way of dealing with bad events sometimes. Maybe she’s somehow...repressed the memories?”

 

He made a considerate hum in response to this notion. Alphys certainly made an interesting point.

 

“Perhaps.” Gaster pulled away from the microscope rubbed his eyes tiredly under his glasses before removing them. He folded them closed and sat down, slumping somewhat into the chair. “I suppose only time will tell the truth. Meanwhile, we should determine the best way to approach this matter.”

  


There was an odd pause in the air and Gaster frowned slightly as he reflected on one of her previous statements. The thought of the human awakening and going on a murder spree crossed his mind many times since her arrival at his laboratory. It wasn’t until Alphys pointed it out herself that he began to regret not requesting more guards when he had the chance.

  


“It was extremely irresponsible to leave you alone with her.” He admitted in an apologetic tone. “I should have asked you to accompany me in the blood analysis. There was really no need to stay in the room while she rested.” He folded and unfolded one the arms of the glasses he held in his lap as he spoke, a sort of nervous tick Alphys noticed he did whenever he was deep in thought.

 

“Uh...” She hesitated, not sure how to respond to his sudden admission. Alphys never liked weird confrontations like this. She found them difficult to handle without stuttering like a moron.

 

“I-it’s fine, really. It’s not like I was really alone anyways. The guard was outside the door the whole time. Besides, this whole thing happened really fast, and so far we’re the only two really working on this one. There hasn’t been much t-time to sit back and try to play it safe. Not to mention all of the **crazy** amount of effort it takes just to keep someone alive. God, I haven't walked this much since...like forever. My feet are KILLING me." She was relieved to see his tense expression begin to relax. They were both under a great deal of stress, but at least they each other to vent to. "And uh, believe me, if I thought there was trouble I would have run the first chance I got.”

  


“Oh _really_ ?” He smirked and tilted his head in a slightly amused manner. Alphys could literally see the humor start to seep into his expression. “With all of those ‘ _historical’_ cartoons you watch, I would have thought you the more heroine type.”

  


“Heh, heh, uh-” She chuckled nervously and glanced around the room in an effort to avoid eye contact. “I think I’m more of the silent character type? Like the one in the background that aids the protagonist. Kinda like Toshiko, from that one show about the hero who fights demons during his summer break.”

  


“The one with the magic talking dog?”

  


“Yeah! Uh, but actually, that was a cat. You were there for that one?” She questioned almost unbelievably, not quite able to recall which movie night that particular show was watched on. Every week a bunch of local monsters liked to get together and watch whatever movies and (mostly) anime they could find. Gaster usually didn’t show up to many of those events.

  


“Sans threatened to drug me if I didn’t go willingly.” He stated with a grimace and then a small dismissive wave of his hand. “Something about overworking.”

  


“Oh. That makes more sense. That one wasn’t very good, though...You should come by when we watch Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. We binge that one at **_least_** once a month.”

  


Gaster gave a non committed nod. He didn’t bother mentioning he had already seen it. Twice. Alphys always provided a refreshing break from work with her passion for her shows and movies, even when it was just listening to her ramble on. He didn't mind too much as long as he wasn't busy.

 

“So, Um...Hows… _this_ -...going.”  She asked hurriedly, motioning to the materials spread out on the table. The more casual turn to their conversation put her nerves back at ease, but Alphys was beginning to feel like she was straying too off topic. After all, there was work to be done.

 

Blood examination was not an area she was very knowledgeable in and, judging by the open books, and _many_ crudely written notes, it appeared the same went for him. Human blood had a lot of uses and functions making it very different from monster blood. There were many monsters that didn’t even possess any kind of blood. Alphys thought that one of the of the most interesting things about human blood is that it can be tested and observed, revealing many health complications if you knew what to look for. This practice was hopefully coming in handy.

  


“From what I have been examining for the past-...” Gaster hesitated and glanced down at his wrist his wrist, pulling back his sleeve to examine the black watch he wore. “- _Nine,_ hours... it appears our treatments have been working. Due to the substantial amount of blood loss she experienced, I have tried to be mindful of the amounts I’ve extracted, _but,_ from what I’ve observed, the blood tests I performed only twelve hours after she was cleaned and stitched already showed a drastic improvement.”

  


A somewhat transparent purple hand materialized and picked up a notebook of recorded data from the end of the workspace. It floated towards Alphys, handing it to her attentively as he continued to explain his observations.

  


“The many cuts and, not to mention, the infection on her stomach- _severely_ depleted her white blood cell count, but, those too now seem to be in normal range... If these books are correct, that is. It appears the most serious infections have been managed before they could do any serious harm.”

  


“Hmm. That’s good.” Alphys hummed with interest as she took the notepad and ran a claw under the lines of scribbled notes that listed the human's blood counts. The hand proceeded to busy itself with arranging some beakers next to the microscope. “What’s...hemoglobin? That one was pretty low.” She asked as she compared the results of the blood test to a chart in one of the books. She began to browse over the information of the foreign word and found something very curious about it.

  


“Hemoglobin is responsible for moving oxygen throughout the body. Blood loss can induce a low percentage of that as well.” He informed. He carefully pulled a glass slide out of the microscopes tray with the intention of replacing it with a fresher sample.

  


“It says here that a low hemoglobin count could be a sign of pregnancy in females…?” Alphys suggested.

  


“Already ran a test on her blood to determine if she is with child. Negative, both times.” Gaster explained swiftly and proceeded to slide the new glass in.

  


“Oh. That's good I guess…”

  


Gaster made a sound of agreement and focused once again on the work in front of him. He seemed to be in very intent on finishing his observations. Alphys felt like she should be in a rush to check back on the human, but she couldn’t help but be very interested in what he was studying.

 

  
“Do you mind if I…?” Alphys asked hesitantly. Gaster raised a questioning brow before he realized what she was asking.

  


“Oh, not at all.” He replied encouragingly and slid the microscope over to her. He quickly adjusted the scope to her height and stepped back to allow her room. Alphys adjusted her glasses accordingly and peered into the lens.

  
  


“Woah.” She breathed. Her clawed fingers raised to adjust the zoom and focus on the side of the instrument.  “...That’s pretty neat...Holy cow! There's so many of them! ...What are the bumpy looking ones? There doesn't seem to be many of those compared to the others.”

  


“Those are the white blood cells. They protect the body from disease and attack any foreign invaders in the blood.”

  


“Woah…” She repeated incredulously. Humans were certainly fascinating creatures.

  


Gaster felt small smile forming on his face when he recognized that glimmer of awe in her eyes. Although he mostly preferred to work in private, there was special kind of wonder that could only be felt when you shared a discovery with another. After a couple of minutes and a few more curious questions, Alphys reluctantly decided it was time to tear her gaze away from the specimen.

  


“Guess we should check on her?” She proposed and once again picked up the plastic box of supplies and placed it under her arm. Anxiousness began to surface from somewhere within her chest once again. She worried about leaving the human on their own, but she also was nervous about going back. How would they react after having time alone to think? Would she even be awake? Would she finally snap and try to kill them? Alphys’ mind didn’t have a great filter when it came to her anxiety, and a million questions and scenarios began to fly through her head.

  


“Agreed. I’ll accompany you back as soon as I get these stored away.” He concurred and shut off the microscope.

  


The way Gaster carried himself so calmly, confidently even, helped ease her worries a bit. Alphys tried to relax and forced herself to take a deep breath in and out.

  


_‘Everything’s gonna be fine.’_ She assured herself mentally, over and over, as many times as it would take. It seemed to benefit, but she still couldn’t help but to fiddle nervously with her hands as she waited. For a brief moment Gaster watched her body language out of the corner of his eye.

  


“If anything happens, we are more than capable of dealing with it. Everything is going to be fine.” He reassured, voicing her inner convictions exactly.

  


Funny how that usually worked.

  


“Y-yeah.” Alphys squeaked. She wasn’t very confident in that agreement, but it was still a comfort to lie.

  


She waited impatiently as he began to cover the glass slides with plastic sheets and store them in a drawer. The movements he made as he opened the drawer pulled back up one of his dark sleeves, and a concerned frown crossed Alphys’ features when she noticed that a large blackened bruise that had formed around his wrist. It had already been a little over two days now since the human had lashed out unexpectedly while they were treating her. It was a constant reminder to Alphys just how freakishly strong humans could be compared to monsters.

  


Hell, this one was dying and she still managed to almost break her partners arm off.

  


“Have you taken anything for that?” She finally spoke up.

  


“There hasn’t been time.” He answered, seemingly unphased by her concern. He was too distracted with trying to find the proper labels for his samples than to waste time trying to convince her that he was fine.

  


“Doesn’t it hurt?”

  


“It’s hardly noticeable.” He responded and straightened up, closing the drawer.

  


Alphys wasn’t sure if he was trying to appear tough, or if he was honestly too busy to notice it. Either way, she didn't think it was very healthy.

  


“Come. Time to check on our patient.” He urged. Gaster retrieved his white lab coat that was folded over the chair top and shrugged it on before briskly making his way towards the hall.

  


Alphys decided to let it go. 

  


As they walked through the bleak halls he scanned over some papers secured to clipboard in his hand, clicking down over the button of a pen and jotting down a couple of notes. With a final click of the pen, he dropped it into his coat pocket and turned to his partner, slowing his pace when he realized she had been falling behind a bit.

  


He tended to forget that being short had its disadvantages.

  


“Anything else I should know before meeting the subject?” He asked as soon as she caught up.

  


Alphys thought for a moment.

  


“She said her name was Emily. Emily...Stella? I-I think.”

  


“Hm. An odd name.” Gaster replied after a short hum.

 

“I kinda like it.” Alphys expressed thoughtfully.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! In my fic Gasters not a skeleton! Sorry to anyone hoping for skeletons!  
> Here he's more of a kinda slender, humanoid-ish monster. 
> 
> I always thought this persons brilliant art resembled what I wanted my Gaster to look like, except so far he doesn't have the cracks in his face yet!!!  
> http://ts-cat.tumblr.com/post/137781154050/some-sketch-with-gaster-i-am-in-love-i-think  
> Plus I imagine his pitch black eyes being much more even and proportionate for the moment. Later on in the story his face will become more warped when plot stuff happens! New chapter coming tomorrow!


	7. A Picket Fence Seems Like a Dangerous Thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's me! With another late chapter! Oh, joy!

“Emily?”

 

Emily stirred in her sleep as she became vaguely aware of a person calling her name. A gentle shake to her shoulder finally brought her partly out of her slumber.

 

“Mmhm?”

 

“Um... You awake?”

 

“No.” She mumbled and cracked her eyes open. Alphys peered down at her face and softly  tapped her shoulder with a scaly finger. “What do’ya want.” Emily slurred tiredly.

 

“Sorry. I figured you would probably knock out again. I, uh, was only g-gone for about an hour.” Emily gazed up at her groggily as her mind slowly emerged from its cloudy state. Sadly, she realized the person talking to her was still a lizard. Perhaps they weren’t going to be changing into anything more sensible anytime soon, either.

 

“If you're feeling up to it, my partner and I wanted to check your wounds and maybe discuss medication?” She added in what sounded more like an asking of permission, her eyes shifting nervously to somewhere else in the room.

 

“Forty seven hours does seem like a sufficient amount of time-” A voice from somewhere behind her began to offhandedly state. He abruptly stopped when Emily jerked away. The unexpected presence behind her instantly pulled her out of her drowsiness as she turned to face the person in question. 

 

Gaster had been carefully watching as Alphys attempted to wake her, leaning slightly over the bedside curiously, opposite of Alphys ,with his hands tensely clasped behind his back. One of the first things he had noticed, was that Alphys had chosen to remove the restraints prior to retrieving him. She told him many times that the human wasn’t aggressive upon previously awakening, but nevertheless he watched attentively, ready to intervene if it became necessary. When the human flinched away from him, he quickly straightened his posture to distance himself. She seemed very prone to panicking, and he half expected her to throw another punch. Instead she froze on the spot.

 

“Apologies, Miss Stella,” He spoke humbly as she eyed him suspiciously. “I did not mean to frighten you.” 

 

His studied her expressions carefully. His head tilted curiously to the side when he observed that she also appeared to be closely examining him, as well. The look in her eyes didn’t look like that of a gentle soul. It was far too cunning and analytical for his liking. It didn’t take long for distrust to take root in his gut.

  
  


Emily’s eyes swiftly darted from side to side as she studied the figure in front of her. At a glance, and perhaps even from a distance, he certainly seemed human. But she quickly realized this was not the case. He had a tall, slender stature and she noticed he wore the same white lab coat that Alphys wore, but over a dark sweater. His skin appeared to be what most people would consider deathly pale. And his eyes. They were unsettling to say the least. Once Emily locked her gaze with his, she could hardly look away. They appeared to be impossibly dark, and seemed to be almost pitch black in their center. The shadow of his eyes were only broken by two dim white pupils which keenly held her stare.

 

“Uh...Guys.” Alphys interrupted the tense silence. “We’re all friends here, ” She added with a nervous laugh. “Right…?”

 

“Uh...” Emily blinked and broke her gaze with the seemingly undisturbed monster. “I wasn’t scared...you just surprised me is all.” She reasoned in response to his apology and tried to relax her nerves. Getting excited only increased her breathing rate, which in turn, put more pressure on her ribs.

 

Basically, it hurt. A  **lot** .

 

_ ‘If I can deal with a lizard I can deal with...this.” _

 

That being decided, she still didn’t like the way he appeared to purposely hold her stare. Most would have looked away at this point. It almost felt threatening.

 

Well, if it was a challenge, Emily would definitely be losing.

 

“Understandable. You appear to have been through a great deal. It’s perfectly reasonable to be skittish.” He said simply and decided to use the moment to retrieve Alphys’ computer chair. It was hard to understand why exactly, but Emily felt slightly offended. Perhaps she just didn’t enjoy being viewed as helpless? Whatever it was, It seemed pretty illogical at the time, so she decided to ignore it for the time being and sweep it under the rug. 

 

Emily watched as he casually turned the computer chair around backwards and sat down next to the bed in one fluid movement. He turned his attention down at a clipboard in one of his hands and flipped through a few of the pages before continuing. 

  
  


“After all, I’m sure it is not every day you see our kind.” He added to his previous assurances.

  
  


“Your...kind?”

  
  


He paused and met her stare again, and once again, Emily felt uncomfortable meeting those ghoulish eyes.

  
  


“Monster kind.” 

  
  


“Oh…right...Spaceship.” Emily muttered and stared back at the wall to her front. Gaster gave a brief perplexed look, but conclusively wrote it off as some kind of strange human saying.

 

In reality, looking at him had suddenly brought back the memory of when she had seen his face, just before going under as a result of the sedative Alphys had given her. He certainly did seem the alien type at the time. 

 

Now, however, the way he held himself, and the way he talked, reminds her too much of the times she used to go to the hospital as a kid. Those horrible days when she had to get shots, and sat anxiously on those crinkly paper covered tables, as the physicians prepared their needles. 

 

The doctor vibes he gave were really starting to unnerve her. And the black gloves he now wore didn’t really help calm her nerves either. Funny. She couldn’t remember him wearing those.

 

Alphys had been watching Emily's face as she endured her internal struggle and felt something akin to pity grip her heart. 

 

“Like I said, we just want to make sure everything's healing right.” Alphys assured her and tentatively laid a gentle hand on her arm. Alphys wasn’t really the comforting type, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself. 

The gesture made Emily stiffen, and without warning she felt tears starting to sting in her eyes.

 

_ ‘No. You are  _ **_not_ ** _ going to cry. Not now.’  _

 

It felt like it had been years since someone besides herself had attempted to comfort her.

 

Gaster silently watched the humans hands for a few seconds. He observed an anticipated twitch, but was relieved to see she didn’t intend to respond in any kind of violent manner.  Alphys felt the same, and it further cemented her belief that the human wasn’t a threat.

 

“Yes,” Gaster elaborated on Alphys previous assurances. “We did apply some antibiotics to your wounds, but by that time a few of them had already appeared to be infected. Specifically the one over your abdominal area.” He studied her expression when mentioning the obvious assault to her middle.

 

Odd.. No obvious reaction. 

 

_ ‘Perhaps there was something to Alphys’ observation about memory loss.’  _ He considered thoughtfully.

 

Emily suddenly began to feel like she was being submerged under water again. The man repeated himself twice before she realized he was asking her a question.

 

“-What…?”

 

Gaster frowned. He rolled the chair closer to the bed and set the clipboard aside onto the mattress. As he reached out for her wrist, he stops suddenly and hovers over it questioningly.

 

“May I?”

 

“May you what?” Emily blinked. She didn’t really trust anyone besides herself to handle her broken arm. Not that she actually knew how to treat it. Just because it hurt like a bitch.

  
  


“Your pulse.”

  
  


Emily considered his request for a moment before relaxing back into the pillow.

  
  


“Okay...” She acknowledged. 

 

Alphys was pleased with how things seemed to be going. She decided to use the moment to start quietly preparing the supplies for the IV at the sink. Surely the two would be fine on their own. Murder seemed to be off the table for the moment, thankfully, so what was the worst that could happen?

 

Gaster turned her arm over gingerly, mindful of the broken bone, and placed two slender fingers over her radial artery. He held his wrist up and watched the second hand of his watch tick, measuring her pulse for a full twenty seconds. Emily watched him closely from the corner of her eye, but so far it seemed like he really was just checking her pulse. Satisfied, he let go of her wrist and dropped his hand down to his coat pocket, producing a small black flashlight, before repeating his previous question for the third time.

  
  


“What I asked was, are you currently experiencing any dizziness, nausea, blurry vision, or headache?”

  
  


“Um- ...mostly just pain. And tiredness. Lot’s of tiredness…” Emily considered what he was asking and tried to deduce what kind diagnosis he was putting together behind those soulless eyes.

  
  


“I see.” He said with a thoughtful hum. “Do you mind if I check your pupils?”

 

Apparently, asking was no more than a formality now, since he went ahead and did so anyways. Emily grimaced sourly and angled her face away from him, annoyed when he placed a gloved hand over her brow so he could steady her eyelid. 

  
  


“ _ Alright _ , _ alright- _ “ She grumbled. He sighed through his nose and pulled the light away from her shifting eye.

  
  


“This would be much easier if you would be still.” He reasoned with a disapproving look, one that loosely resembled an adult scolding a naughty child. Somehow, this just managed irritated her even more.

  
  


“What are you looking for? What does my head have to do with this?” Emily didn’t enjoy being left in the dark.

  
  


“You're aware of your head injury, then?” He inquired testingly, straightening back up and placing his hands casually into his coat pockets as he awaited an answer.

 

“Well yea, I mean…Of course.” Emily absentmindedly brought a hand up to the bandage covering the bruised right side of her head. She traced a finger over a small lump under the bandage and suspected there might be even more stitches underneath it.

 

Of course she remembered assessing most of her injuries after she first awoke in that dark cave.  

 

Emily thought back to when she was walking through the ruins and seeing frogs and a strangely solemn ghost. She also remembered the nagging worry that followed her through the tunnels that she might have dented something vital in her head. 

 

Now that she has time to sit and not worry about making out of a maze of hallways, she wonders for a moment if that could still be the case. 

 

Other memories started to come back, as if they were sleeping somewhere in the back of her mind and were waking up one by one. There was a warm porch light, crayon drawings, yellow flowers, and a soft bed. It was so odd. Remembering all of these sights and feelings...It almost felt like she was experiencing them again all over. Emily’s eyes glanced up and she snapped out of it when she realized he was still waiting for a response.

  
  


“My head is fine. I just need a some time to get used to all of…” Emily hesitated to find the right word. “...This. The sooner I get out of here the better.”

  
  


Gaster considered her answer for a moment and nodded.

  
  


“Well, the sooner you let me finish examining you, the sooner you can be on your feet. I’m sure you're confused and feeling rightly cautious, but, we  _ are _ only trying to help.” He pointed out.

  
  


Emily eyed him for a moment.  _ ‘Grade A acting buddy, that didn’t sound forced at all...’ _

 

If he was trying to earn her trust, it wasn’t working.

  
  


“...Okay.” She gave in and reluctantly allowed him to blind her retinas with light once again.

  
  


He tested her broken arm next, gently removing the makeshift splint and examining the swollen flesh. 

  
  


“In case you had any doubts, it is most certainly broken.” 

  
  


“I didn’t.”

  
  


Gaster ignored her reply and picked up his clipboard again, plucking a sheet out from the stack of papers attached to it.

  
  


“As you can see here, it is a clean break. Accompanied by two fractures near your wrist area.” He held up the transparent sheet to show the x-rayed image of her arm. There was indeed a very apparent crack in her forearm. This wasn’t what alarmed Emily most. He proceeded to display a second page that showed a set of ribs and a spine. “In this one, here, you can see another clean break on your third rib here,” He motioned to the sheet pointedly with his pen as he spoke, “and another fracture of this one here and here. Another reason to limit your movements as much as possible.”

  
  


“Wait a second- you guys took x-rays!? When did this happen? Did I miss something here?” Emily didn’t understand. If they were underground, what was this room she was in? It was to clean and too white to fit the dark murky atmosphere she was been trapped in for the past who knows how long. “How long has it _ been _ ? And I thought we were underground! 

  
  


“We are.” He said flatly, as if her questions were interrupting some kind of important lecture. “You were unconscious for almost two days. Plenty of time to run tests and determine your condition.”

  
  


“Two days…” She whispered astonishingly. “And I’m underground? Is this a hospital? Am I in a hospital? Underground? That doesn’t make any-...” Emily's eyes widened as a sudden revelation came over here. “Oh my god. There's no way I could afford this.”

  
  


“We don’t…?” Gaster narrowed his eyes skeptically. This human was starting to become very confusing. 

  
  


The last thing he’d expected to hear from her when she awoke was her financial state. 

  
  


“We don’t want your money. Not that you had any on you in the first-”

  
  


“Wait, where  _ are  _ my clothes?” Emily cut in, suddenly aware once again that she’s wearing nothing but an annoyingly large hospital gown.

  
  


Gaster sluggishly sat back down into the chair and crossed his arms, holding the clipboard to his chest. The humans apparent disinterest in their condition was starting to irritate him, and the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll. His patience for this was almost down to zero.

  
  


“Oh...Um, I kinda threw those out…Heh....” Alphys piped up meekly from across the room. “They were pretty torn up and soaked with, uh- blood, actually.”

  
  


“Those…” Emily started. There was a sudden thousand yard stare in her eyes. “...were my favorite pair of jeans....”

  
  


Gaster decided he couldn’t take anymore.

  
  


“I’m sorry, we just showed you two of your own broken bones, and your worried about- ...a pair of  _ pants _ ?”

  
  


“What?!” Emily exclaimed, shooting him a glare, as if he were the dumbest one in the room. “No! Why would I be worried about pants?!”

  
  


She realized suddenly what exactly she was getting at with all of the frantic imptient questions.

  
  


“I gotta get out of here.” Emily announced abruptly in a monotone voice, and quickly swung a leg over the side of the bed. “Ow, ow-...”

  
  


“Uh, Gaster I think she’s finally panicking.” Alphys shouted anxiously, fidgeting back and forth on her feet unsurely. Alphys began to freak out even more when Emily began to slide off the side. “Oh god- she's making a b-break for it.” 

  
  


Emily ignored the lizards distress and grunted as she swung her other leg painfully over the side of the bed, her feet touching down on the cold tiled ground. The pressure quickly reminded her of her twisted ankle, and worse the pestering doctor was instantly at her side with a firm hand on her shoulder.

  
  


“Miss Stella, please, you're in no condition to be walking. Lie back down.”

 

Emily swatted his hand away and gave him a scowl.

  
  


“You're right, I’m not. And as much as I... _ appreciate, “ _ She emphasized the word through gritted teeth, not really sounding overall appreciative, “-all that you two have done for me, I would prefer it if you would just kindly show me the way out of here so I can go to a  **real** hospital with  **real** people.” Satisfied with her point, she roughly grabbed onto one of the doctors sleeves to steady herself so she could stand on her wobbly legs. The pain in her ribs hit her like truck, but motivation kept her legs from buckling. Emily wondered if the true reason they were really trying to keep her here was because they were afraid she would sell them out. Monsters living under a mountain, practicing medicine and waving needles about, didn’t seem to be common knowledge up above. At least not where she was from.

  
  


Alphys watched from the background worriedly and wondered where this sudden frenzy came from. She seemed so calm before, and now there was a look in her eyes as if she was ready to mow down an army just so she could walk out the door. It would be scary if it wasn’t just a little sad. After all, she couldn't even stand on her own.

  
  


As Emily continued to ignore them, Gaster threw Alphys a half desperate, half pleading look. In return she gave him a questioning glance and he responded by motioning silently towards the struggling human with a nod of his head. Her eyes widened when she realized what he trying to convey. Alphys replied with an obnoxious shrug, throwing her hands into the air dramatically, declaring immunity from the situation with the classic “not it” gesture. Gaster’s face went from pleading, to one-hundred percent done in an instant. Reluctantly, he abandoned the silent exchange and turned his attention back to the human, who was now trying to use his arm as leverage to walk, as if his only purpose now was to show them to the door. 

 

This whole situation was starting to become extremely irritating.

 

“Look... We will be more than happy to show you the way to the surface-”

 

“-We will?” Alphys suddenly exclaimed in a loud doubtful tone. Gaster threw another glare in her direction. After a few moments she took the hint and made a silent  _ “oooooh” _ gesture and nodded for him to go on. Meanwhile, Emily ditched the arm and used the mattress instead to make her way along the bedside.

 

“ **Yes** , we  _ will _ .” Gaster continued. “But only if you let  _ us _ make sure you can make it that far. Because, at the moment, I doubt you would make it even five feet without using my arm as your personal post.” He made no attempt to stop her perilous journey to the door, concluding that stopping her with words with be much easier than using force.

 

“You guys realize that that was a very suspicious exchange of words just now, right?” Emily pointed out skeptically. Alphys chuckled nervously and shrugged again. 

 

Gaster rubbed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

 

“The fact of the matter is, you are in no state to be going anywhere. Not only are you sickly and dehydrated, but you have multiple lacerations, two broken bones, and multiple fractures. The only thing we need to do now is run an IV into your vein to administer fluids and pain medication-”

  
  


“But-” Emily argued, not wanting anything to do needles in the slightest. 

  
  


“ **-And,** ” Gaster said in a slightly louder voice, reclaiming his interrupted sentence. “We need to apply an  _ actual _ splint to your arm before it heals any farther. Are we agreed?” He asked, raising an expectant eyebrow. 

  
  


It seemed he was giving some sort of ultimatum.

  
  


Emily studied his face for any signs of deception. She only found what looked like exhaustion and desperation.

  
  


“You swear I’m not some sort of prisoner? You’ll really show me the way out?”

  
  


“As soon as you're well enough, yes. We can take you to see our King when you’ve healed. He can lead you out.”

  
  


“R-right! The King knows the way out better than anyone!” Alphys added a bit  _ too _ loudly. She decided after that to leave convincing the human up to Gaster. Lying to people is something she was never very good at.

  
  


Emily looked from Gaster to Alphys, and then back to him. The internal battle between trusting them and bolting through the door was very short lived.

  
  


“...Alright...Fine.”

  
  


“Oh, thank god.” Alphys gasped, relieved.

  
  


“But  **no** needles.”


	8. Faceless Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking bout writing a song. Something along the lines of, "Why do I keep getting distracted with writing future chapters when I should be working on the current ones!~"  
> Oh well!

Looking back, there really wasn’t much of an option for her anyways. Emily realized the second she got up that she was in no condition to be going anywhere.

At first, Emily tried to find that determination that kept her going through the ruins, despite the pain and exhaustion that hung over her like a cloud. If she did it before, she could do it again, right?

 

Wrong.

 

Whatever ounce of will she had to keep moving earlier was gone. All she wanted to do now was lie down and sleep for a year. So, reluctantly, she agreed. A very, _tiny,_ nagging voice in the back of her head told her she should be more cooperative. Maybe, appreciative? Maybe both. It was hard to tell.

 

Shortly after her agreement to remain and be treated though, Emily made sure to quickly declare a “no needles” rule.

 

 **_Unfortunately_ ** for _her_ , she apparently did not have the authority to pass the “no needles” rule.

 

Emily found her lack of power in this new voting council absolutely appalling. She _was_ the patient after all. Aren't they entitled to the right to decide what's done with their bodies?

 

Gaster was quick to argue however that there was no voting committee at all, and that she was being childish by not accepting necessary treatment.

 

 **F** ** _ortunately_** for _her_ , when Gaster finally threatened to strap her down so that he could “ _do his job without her incessant whining_ ,” Alphys quickly intervened with a more appealing alternative when Emily began threatening to fight him over it, despite her almost bed ridden state.

  


So far, Emily thought her and the good doctor got along splendidly.

  


That is, as long as they weren’t in the same room.

  


Alphys’ alternative was that Emily was required to drink and eat a required amount of sustenance each day. Failure to meet these standards would result in her being required to use the IV.

 

Emily found this acceptable.

 

After about an hour of arguing over needles, Gaster was relieved they could finally get on with continuing their treatment.

 

“Excellent.” He said dryly. “Now that we have come to an agreement, can we please carry on.” He uncrossed his arms and straightened his posture away from the counter he’d been leaning against.

 

Towards the end of the discussion, he’d decided it would be best to retreat from the argument and let Alphys do most of the talking. She proved to be much better at dealing with the human than he was, anyways. He knew he still had to find a way to convince the human to let them use the IV, though. If she was interested in accelerated healing, and virtually no pain, it was essential.

 

 _‘All in good time.’_ he assured himself. There was no doubt the human would be eager to leave long before she fully recovered, and he’d rather she was in a better state when she found the truth about their prison.

 

Now that things were settled though, he was in a hurry to wrap up the examination. The sooner they finished, the sooner his partner could sleep. Gaster had trained himself long ago to go multiple nights without sleep, but Alphys was obviously exhausted. While he probably had another two sleepless nights left in him, she looked as if she could doze off any second now.

 

He would’ve felt much more energetic had the human not appeared almost immediately after he had finished conducting a week long experiment with another partner. Nevertheless, Gaster always reasoned that as long as he was still capable of using his magic, he was awake enough to keep working.

 

Emily had also grown exhausted from her recent struggle. With a huff she finally decides she needs to get off her ankle.

 

“Alright.” Emily muttered. Along with being drained, she also hurt. A _lot_. After carefully climbing back into bed, she had to fight back tears from the agony that she felt as a result.

 

Gaster walked over to a cabinet and opened it, pulling out a bin and digging through it.

 

“May I ask, why you are so opposed to needles?” He inquired when he found what he was searching for and returned to the bedside. He had in one hand what appeared to be an actual forearm splint for an actual human arm. In the other was what looked like a bunch of thin white padded squares of fabric and some metal clips.

 

Alphys, who had been trying to pack away the IV supplies, cringed quietly upon hearing his question. The argument had just ended and he was already prying into what seemed to be one of the human's deepest fears. Apparently he didn’t pick up on that. Gaster was a genius, but sometimes he had a habit of being a bit cold. He wasn’t really cruel by any means, just unintentionally intrusive when it came to more delicate things.

  


Most would call it blunt.

  


Alphys glanced over to the human. She half expected Emily to appear bitter. Instead, she was relieved to see her don a more passive expression.

  


“Plenty of people are afraid of needles.” She spoke assuredly. She knew for a fact that she wasn't the only one, but the way he asked made her doubt.

  


“I see.” He replied simply as he fiddled with the splint. Fear made much more sense. Here he thought she was just being stubborn. “And by people I assume you mean humans.”

  


“Uh...Yea.” She eyed him strangely. “Don’t some monsters have a fear of needles?”

  


“Hard to say. The need to inject substances is hardly a common one. Your arm?” He held out an expectant hand and Emily noticed he’d traded the black gloves for what looked like a pair of white latex gloves. She found it very unnerving.

 

Emily had been hugging her arm close to her middle up until now, tucked safely away from any pain that might befall it. She reluctantly released it and allowed him to set it down to her side.

 

“I assume it's not the pain that frightens you.” He speculated.

 

Emily wasn’t really sure how to respond to this conversation he insisted on having. She never had to explain to anyone before why she was afraid of needles. People usually just understood.

 

“Why do you say that?” Emily questioned.

  


“You have a broken arm and rib. I doubt a tiny puncture is high on your list of concerns.” Gaster began to doubt this as soon as he said it, remembering the noise she made just over a pair of pants.

  


“I think you’d be pretty scared if someone you didn’t know tried to stab _you_.” Emily reasoned.

  


Alphys had taken notice of her pain from earlier and grabbed a white bottle of pills from a shelf. She anxiously wondered if the human was referring to her when she mentioning stabbing.

 

“There is a large difference between a knife and needle.” He countered.

 

“Yeah…” Emily couldn't really argue with that logic. “But, I think with most people it's what's inside the needle that scares them.”

 

Gaster gave a perceptive nod and began to wrap her arm with the strips of soft plush padding.

 

It got strangely quiet in the room as he worked and Emily absentmindedly decided to continue her explanation.

 

“Plus needles usually remind people of hospitals. That usually makes people pretty nervous. I always hated hospitals as a kid.”

 

Gaster was uncertain as to why she was suddenly interpreting so much, but he didn’t interrupt her. He assumed talking was just a coping method.

 

In reality it just helped her take the focus off the pain.

 

“I never liked them to begin with, but one particular time when I was at school some playground bullies thought it would be funny to pin me down and hold a sewing needle over my eye. That pretty much sealed the deal for me.”

 

“Wow...that's horrible.” Alphys responded, who was secretly listening in up until this point. “What happened?”

 

“Uh…” Emily suddenly felt awkward when she met the lizard's eyes. She got the feeling that she had overshared way too much. “Nothing happened. Just a bunch of kids being jerks. I actually grew up to be pretty good friends with some of them.”

 

It was odd. She felt a lot of old memories had been resurfacing lately. Almost as if her brain had been jump started and was starting to go through stored memories in chronological order. At the moment she could recall almost vivid memories from her elementary and high school days. The memory of a faceless friend handing her a cold soda can flashed across her mind. She was just about to make out his voice when it was interrupted by Alphys response.

 

“Oh...That’s cool...I guess?” Alphys was standing next to her now and nervously offered her the bottle of pills.

 

“This is the pain medication I mentioned earlier. We have a much better one via IV, buuut-...uh, yeah. You can go ahead and read the bottle if you want, but it says to take two every six hours. Which we will watch to make sure you do. Closely, that is. Just in case.”

 

“Sure. Um, I’ll just give the bottle back so you don’t gotta worry about trusting me with it.” Emily said grimly and turned the bottle over in her hand to read the warnings and directions while Gaster finished wrapping her arm.

 

The bottle was labeled Hydrocodone-and-some-word-she-couldn't-even-pronounce. The thought of any kind of pain medicine was practically a god send, regardless.

 

“This is prescription medication. Where did you guys get this?” Emily asked after eyeing the name on the bottle. She was genuinely curious. They practically lived in a cave. She couldn’t imagine them having access to this kind of stuff.

 

“Everything we find leaks in from the surface. What we c-can’t find we make ourselves, but most of the stuff we are helping you with is stuff we’ve salvaged.” Alphys explained and handed a cup of water over to her and two of the pills.

 

Emily took them graciously and as promised, returned the bottle to Alphys, who walked back across the room to store it safely away.

 

The pills tasted bitter, but drinking for the first time in forever made her realize just how parched she really was. She drained the whole cup and winced every time she tried to swallow. She silently hopes the pills kick in soon.

  


“This is the final one.” Gaster spoke. “Once this is secured all that's left to do is check your sutures.” He stated and held up the splint as show.

  


“Oh. Okay.” Emily stuttered, glad that the previous topic was officially over.

  


Emily heard a shrill beeping noise and looked over to see Alphys at a desk, her claw hovering over what looked like a desk phone. She peered at a monitor screen for a moment before clicking it off. The noise grabbed Gaster's attention as well.

 

“Uh, don’t worry it's just the janitor. He’ll probably just leave since he knows we’re here now.” She assured him, pointing towards the hidden monitor screen. Gaster nodded and focused back on Emily’s arm.

 

Emily almost thought she saw a flash of concern on his face for a moment.

 

“Are we… expecting someone?” She asked warily.

 

“No.” He answered bluntly.

 

“Okaaay…” Emily looked to Alphys instead. She found her to be much more trustworthy anyways. Also it was easier to tell if she was lying. Alphys fidgeted with a pen in her hands and decided it would probably be best to answer her more thoroughly.

 

“Well. you see, not a lot of monsters know you're here… And we, um,  k-kinda want to keep it that way.”

 

“Why?” Emily didn’t understand why she was suddenly some big secret.

 

Gaster joined the conversation, not bothering to meet her eyes as he talked. She found that fishy.

 

“Not a lot of monsters have ever met a human before… Lets just say it’s uncertain how they might react.”

 

He left out the part where she might be met with a small amount of animosity. He doubted any of the younger monsters that lived peacefully in the underground could actually manage to harm another person out of spite alone, though. He was actually more concerned with what _she_ was capable of. So far she appeared to be stubborn and crude, but not exactly lethal. All the same, he wanted to keep as many lives as he could out harm's way, at least for the time being.

  


There was a reason monsters were underground in the first place.

  


Another urgent beeping sound went off and Alphys quickly clawed the button again.

 

“Uuuuh- _ok,_ I-I’ll be right back guys.” She fretted and hastily jogged over to the door, pausing at it. “Oh, and t-try to be nice… Please.” She added as bravely as she could manage and disappeared into the hallway.

 

The door shut with a heavy thunk and Emily never even got the chance to object.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a song!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLiLUIpNvM&nohtml5=False
> 
> Also I wanted to say thanks to GorillazObsessor and VworpStageLeft!  
> You're comments give me life and your awesome!!!


	9. A Relapse of Sanity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru7wWGd9LvI  
> This is Emily's song. Her character is something I put a lot of thought into when I write her, and her path was chosen from the very beginning of this tale, and even before.

Emily stared grimly at the door after Alphys had left. Being left alone with tall, dark, and creepy- wasn’t exactly favorable.

 

She covertly studied the doctor's face as he straightened out one of the cushiony wraps around her arm. He seemed very focused on perfecting and finishing the job.

 

“Are you ready?” He asked and suddenly looked up and met her gaze. Emily awkwardly shifted her eyes back down to her arm.

 

“Um. You say that like it's gonna hurt.” She responded nervously.

 

“It has to be applied tight enough to secure the bone, and ensure it heals correctly.”

 

Emily noticed the way he spoke sounds more like hes rehearsing notes to himself. He eyed the cast for a moment in thought. He then slumped forward slightly and rested an elbow on his knee, using the back of his wrist to massage his temple.

 

“You look, uh...tired?” Emily couldn’t tell if the dark skin under his eyes was caused by a lack of sleep, or if that was just how he normally looked, but his body language told her it was probably the former.

 

“Sorry.” He uttered and cleared his throat and he began to roll up the sleeves of his lab coat. “We weren't exactly prepared for the high maintenance that comes with caring for an injured human.”

 

“Oh...Sorry.”

 

For the first time that night, Emily felt just a little bit guilty. Sure they weren't exactly human. And sure, her first memory of the duo was them drugging her when she had awoken in a confused daze. Not a pleasant memory at best, but so far they hadn’t actually hurt her. In fact it was quite the opposite. She wondered if she would even be alive right now if they hadn’t found her.

 

“An apology is not necessary.” He assured her. “I’m sure you would have avoided this if you could.”

  


_‘Alright, now the guilts really laying in thick.’_ She thought solemnly.

 

Suddenly an idea formed in her head.

 

“Ya’ _knoooow_ ,” She suggested as casually as she could manage. “If you guys could just walk me to the exit and show me which ways north, I could be outta your hair in no time. I’m sure the walk back to the main road won't be too far.”

 

“Certainly.” He replied coolly.

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course!” He replied, even more lightheartedly this time. Her face fell when she realized he was being sarcastic. “Just as soon as you recover.”

 

Emily groaned restlessly. She felt like a pressing matter was weighing heavy in her mind, just on the tip of her tongue, as if there was something important that needed to be done. The need to get topside was getting stronger and stronger.

 

“I’m thinking, let’s say-... four to five weeks will suffice. Your bones will not be completely healed, but you should be up and about by that time.”

  


Five weeks was a long time to house someone. She couldn’t help but to wonder if there was something they were getting out of this by helping her.

  


“So what’s the deal here?”

  


“The deal?” He wavered.

  


“Yeah, ya’know, like what's the gain here? Why help? I mean, not many people just help others out of the goodness of their hearts.”

  


“Don't they?” He asked with an inquisitive brow.

  


“Well, yeah, I guess. But this is kinda overboard.” She elaborated, raising her heavily bandaged arm for emphasis. “Not to mention I’m not even _one_ of you guys. You don’t even know who I _am_. Yet, you guys let me into your home and everything. ”

 

“Technically, I don’t live here.”

 

It wasn’t a complete lie. He has a house. He just hardly uses it.

 

“And if you are trying to get me to throw you out, it's not going to work.” He seemed to find this amusing. “Unless you try to harm someone that is.”

 

He paused.

  


“Don’t get any ideas though.”

  


Emily groaned and slapped a hand listlessly onto her face.

  


“Just tell me what the catch is.” She grumbled.

  


Gaster sighed, knowing she wouldn’t let up unless he gave her a satisfying answer.

 

“Our King declares that any human who passes through the Underground is to be treated as a guest. Humans, by law, are to be considered as...“friends,” as he likes to put it. Unless they prove otherwise, that is. Are you content with that?”

  


She thought about this for a few seconds.

  


“Yeah. I guess.”

  


“Good. Shall we continue?”

 

Emily nodded and studied the splint as he lifted her arm up, preparing to apply it. It was big enough to accommodate her forearm, from elbow to wrist, and the outer material looked stiff and rigid. She’d never worn a cast before, but it didn’t look very comfortable.

 

After many grunts and hisses of pain, and an equal amount of muttered apologies in return, it finally rested snugly around her arm. It was pretty tight, and there was a pounding ache in her arm at this point from all the shifting and squeezing, but it actually did feel much more secure now. She is just thankful that it's over with.

 

“That certainly looks right.” Gaster concurred and sat back to admire his handiwork.

 

“Wait, have you ever actually done this before?” Emily asked skeptically and lifted her arm up front of her to observe the brace.

 

“Never.”

 

“Of course.” Emily quipped and lowered the arm in defeat a bit too harshly onto the bed and winced.  “What, you don’t get patients with broken bones every day?”

 

“I normally don’t get patients at all. I’m a scientist, not a doctor.”

 

“Oh.” She expressed. “Coulda fooled me.”

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

 

The brief thought to ask what he studied entered her mind, but she decided against it. Getting to know each other wasn’t high on her list of preferable things at the moment.

 

She felt guilty about fighting the nagging voice that told her she should probably thank him for the cast, while another part of her just wanted to stay quiet and wait till Alphys got back. Before she could decide between the two, he suddenly pushed his chair back, and stood up.

 

“Now then,” He informed her as he got up, walking over to a trashcan and discarding the bandages that made her previous splint. “That will have to remain on for six to eight weeks. Am I mistaken?”

 

“Um-” Emily hesitated. It was odd that they were treating her, but at the same time asking how she needed to be treated. She reminds herself that it's only because he isn’t human.

 

“N-no. That sounds ‘bout right.”

 

“Excellent. Though, if you accepted the aid of an IV, we _could_ bring that recovery time down to a week.”

 

“Ha-!” Emily blurted sarcastically. She only half regretted it when a spark of pain traveled up her side from the sudden intake of air. She hissed and slightly shifted atop the uncomfortable hospital bed.

 

“-Ow, _shit.”_ She muttered.

 

Gaster strolled back over to her side, this time with a small white box and a smug look about him.

 

He moved around way too much for her liking. Keeping tabs on him would be much easier if he would just sit still. She couldn’t shake the uncertainty that he could whip out a needle at any second and dissect her, or something of that nature. It already happened once with Alphys, and once was enough for her to form a reasonable amount of distrust.

 

 _‘Well… She did say she was sorry.’_ Emily reminds herself.

 

“Uh, sorry buddy,” She spoke sarcastically. “But I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work like that. Bones take forever to heal no matter how much fluids you get pumped into you. One week is impossible.”

 

“No, I’m serious.” He said plainly. His face was in fact, dead serious.

 

Emily didn’t care how much it hurt, she couldn’t help but laugh. He was just too confident.

 

Maybe it was just the pills kicking in, or maybe it just felt good to laugh, but she snickered even harder when he narrowed his eyes and suddenly looked very shocked. It's the first human-like expression she’d seen on his face. Was it really so astounding to be wrong about something?

 

Gaster didn’t think she was using what little energy she had wisely. It had to be difficult to move and breathe, much less laugh, but still the human somehow found the strength to taunt him. It was almost admirible. But what really shocked him wasn’t her rejection of his assumption.

 

What shocked him, was that it was the first time he’d seen her smile.

 

In most monsters minds, humans were terrifying, ruthless creatures, cold and murderess. Not many of them knew too well what a human looked like, but it was pretty universal that they probably couldn’t smile like a monster could. Or, much less, laugh as _genuinely_ as a monster could.

 

But, here she was. Laughing, albeit for unsure reasons, even though it looked like it was killing her. It was the third time she’d surprised him. He briefly clasped a hand over his wrist as he recalled the first time. No doubt the bruise was still there. Luckily, he usually wore gloves to hide his hands anyways.

 

He wondered what other curiosities the future held now that there was a human in the Underground. Their species really was proving to be interesting. But not so much because they were so different from monsters.

 

More so, because he found that they had much more in common, at least personality wise, than he’d previously envisioned. As long as she wasn’t some evil scheming actor, plotting to strike as soon as everyone's guard was down, Emily already proved that humans had a wide range of emotions just like monsters did. Some ancient monster history books suggested this already, but Gaster wasn’t the type to instantly take anything he read as a truth. Especially books that were written hundreds of years ago by long dead monsters from a forgotten time. Even when the King told him stories of the humans, he couldn’t help but to doubt their supposedly “kind” nature.

 

Emily had tears in her eyes from the pain now, and laughing exhausted her a great deal. She forced herself to calm down and brought a hand up to wipe her eyes as her laughter died down into exhausted chuckles.

 

 _‘Alright Em, seriously, it's not that funny.’_ She mused silently.

 

“Sorry, sorry.” She huffed breathlessly and wiped her nose with the back of her hand with a small sniff.

 

“I don’t know why I found that so funny. I think-” Emily couldn’t finish her sentence. She abruptly snorted and another set of giggles burst out before she finally scolded herself mentally and exhaled very loudly in an attempt to get control.

 

It felt really nice to laugh. Maybe that's why she did it longer than necessary. Emily wasn’t in the best shape right now, but she wasn’t an idiot. She knows something’s wrong. She knows she’s having difficulty recalling just how she got into this situation in the first place. Anytime she thought back far enough, her brain struggled to piece together sights, smells, and random bursts of fear, into coherent memories.

 

But she knows this much. Her name is Emily Stella. Her cat's name is Newton. Her father's name was Michael Stella. She works a boring astronomy job where hardly anything ever happens. Her favorite food is leftover chinese food, preferably at three in the morning.

 

She trusted the rest would eventually fall in place. The past two days felt more like years, and all she knew since that foggy night was uncertainty, fear, and pain. So a little forced laughter wasn’t so bad, right? Her ribs begged to differ.

 

The pills must’ve been working though, because not only was she feeling incredibly drowsy now, the pain was beginning to dim.

 

“What I _meant_ ,” Gaster began to elaborate when her fit finally ceased. The slight knowing smile he wore gave Emily the feeling she had laughed a bit too soon.

 

“Is that we have an elixir that can speed up the body's natural healing process. It may come with a few odd side effects for humans, but ultimately it is still very efficient, and safe. However, it can only be infused into the bloodstream via injection.”

 

“Wait...what?” Emily blinked. It didn’t even sound real.

  


“This stuff will heal a broken bone in a _week_ ? Nothing like that even _exists_.”

  


“Not on the surface, no.” He hinted.

  


“You're saying you made this?”

  


“Not me personally, but yes, my kind did create it.” Gaster emptied the small white bandages and antibacterial medicine from the box and arranged them neatly onto the bed's surface.

  


“But how would you know if it works on humans? Couldn’t that kill me?”

  


“It has been used by humans many times before. Mostly back when humans and monsters interacted.”

  


Emily's curiosity was prompted again by this revelation. She assumed until now no one really knew about the strange creatures under Mount Ebott. She decided against asking why they didn’t share this miracle drug, if they really had it, with the entire world. She deeply believed that people have a responsibility to lessen the suffering of others if they were able. A memory of her father came to mind. Looking her sternly in the eyes when she was very young many years ago, and telling her one of the most important things she’d ever heard.

  


_‘You have a duty of care, bug. Don’t ever forget that. The world is a much better place for it.’_

  


She decided for now to keep quiet about such things. Telling another species what to do with their own creations might be pushing it a little, and she really wanted explanations right now, not arguments.

  


“When humans and monsters interacted? When was this? Doesn't strike me as recent.”

  


Gaster took the liberty of beginning to unwrap a bandage on her other arm with the intention of changing it. He considered how to go about answering her question without revealing too much about monster history. They were beginning to go into delicate territory. The only thing keeping her calm and relaxed, was the promise that she could soon leave. Who knew what would happen when she found out that she was just as trapped as the rest of them?

  


“No, not recent at all. It was a very long time ago, when we lived on the surface alongside humans.” He decided to answer honestly, but vaguely.

  


“So what happened? How come you don’t live topside anymore?”

  


These questions were getting dangerously close to undesirable answers.

  


“Lets just say, there was a disagreement. Our kind and your kind didn’t get along so well at the time.” He said as he reached for another bandage.

 

 _‘That's putting it lightly...’_ He thought.

  


“Oh. That makes sense.” Emily conceded with an agreeing hum. Gaster’s brow quirked annoyedly and she quickly held up her hands in defense.

  


“Not like that! I’m sure you guys are great!” She exclaimed. “I just meant that people have a habit of being like that. Humans in general can be pretty... disagreeable.” She couldn’t get over the way the word “human” rolled off her tongue, almost as if it were foreign. It was even stranger to talk to another person who wasn’t a part of that species. Especially when they just seemed so… well, _human._

  


Gaster never imagined she would acknowledge that her own kind was unpleasant. He wonders how many other humans thought that.

  


_“_ So what, you guys got pissed and went to live underground?”

  


Gaster actually chuckled out loud at this assumption. It was all just too ironic.

  


It wasn’t really an actual laugh, but she didn’t even think he was capable of a chuckle with all of that cold serious exterior. She was also skeptical as to what he found so funny about her question.

  


“Something like that, yes.” He said finally.

  


“So why don’t you guys go back?” She inquired. “Don’t you miss the stars?”

  


Gaster felt a pang in his chest upon hearing this, but his face remained as composed as always.

  


“We don’t want to.” He lied with a dismissive wave of his hand. The sudden carefree tone made Emily suspect he was enjoying whatever charade he was pulling off. “It’s cozy down here, and there are no irritating humans who fidget and chatter when you try to apply their gauze. Now lie down, I need to check the stitches on your stomach.”

  


“Sheesh, alright.” She muttered, taking the hint. “No more questions.”

  


Emily thought about the agonizing amount of time it would take, waiting for the pain in her side to slowly ebb away as the bones inside healed. It only took five seconds of silence for Emily to quickly go back on her word.

  


“So this _elixir_ ,”  She sat up anxiously onto her elbows as she addressed him. Gaster sighed, but she ignored him and continued anyways.

  


“You say I could be better in a week?”

  


“In theory, yes. Give or take a few days. With monsters it's much quicker, but humans tend to take longer due to differing biology. I only say a week because your injuries are very severe. Severe enough that you probably should not be moving at all. Or _talking_ for that matter.”

  


“Hmm, I see.” She said, drawing out the last word thoughtfully and ignoring his obvious suggestions.

  


“And how come I can’t just drink this, _elixir_?”

  


“That is possible. But ingestion would take much longer, and would only further the healing process by a few days. You would still have to wait four to five weeks until you fully recover. Like I said, your injuries are-”

  


“-Very severe, yeah, yeah.” Emily interrupted and slumped back with a defeated sigh.

 

She finally realized what about him annoyed her so much. He hardly ever used contractions. His speech was way too proper, but she decided against mentioning this since she still wanted answers. These long drawn out responses were hard to focus on though with the heavy blanket of drowsiness making itself at home under her skin.

  


“So how does this stuff work anyways?”

  


“Typically,” He started. “Monsters who specialize in healing magic conjure it and infuse it with food and fluids. The original solution works by harnessing the healing power of the soul and-”

  


“Wait.”

  


Gaster paused and gave her a miffed look as she interrupted _yet_ again.

  


“You're not actually saying what I think you're saying, right?”

  


“And that would be…?”

  


“That you use magic… To make _magic_ potions. To _magically_ heal people.”

  


Gaster didn’t see what was so scandalous about this, but Emily was looking at him as if he had just told her the Earth was flat. Many of Alphys’ “historical” cartoons had elements of magic in them, so it was pretty obvious that humans knew of its existence.

  


“I believe that is exactly what I was saying.” He replied smoothly while preparing a bandage as a replacement. “And here I thought all humans were sorcerers. Are you sure you're not a witch? We have many texts that would support this conjecture.”

 

Emily stared at him suspiciously, trying to read his face to see what he could possibly be getting at. He wasn’t looking at her directly, but assumed that the small wry smile on his lips meant that he was making a joke.

  


“Wait a sec, are you trying to be funny? Because, if not, I’m definitely _not_ a witch.”

  


“Hmm... “ He hummed doubtfully and pushed her shirt up to check under the bandage on her stomach. “That sounds like something a witch would say.”

  


“Don’t sass me.” Emily warned half heartedly and tiredly brought a hand up to rub her eyes.

  


“I would never.” He replied earnestly.

  


She was bothered by the cold hand that rested over her stomach as he poked at the bandages tape, trying to peel it off considerably, but the conversation was a pretty amusing distraction.

  


“Sure.” She chided. “So, you know magic isn’t real right?”

  


“Perhaps not on the surface.”

  


“Pfft, alright.” Emily snorted. “I bet the next thing you’ll tell me is that you're actually my fairy godmother, and that I fell into wonderland. Have you got a unicorn waiting outside the door, too?”

  


“A what?”

  


“A unicorn.” Emily repeated. Was her speech really getting that slurred?

  


“Never heard of it.” The tape was almost off now and he noticed cuts on her stomach were certainly looking much better.

  


Emily gasped and sat up again.

  


_“What?!_ ”

  


Gaster instantly recoiled away from the stitches when she moved, worried the motion would cause him to tear his delicate handiwork. He took an impatient breath.

  


“If you keep moving like that, you are going to rip-”

  


“How do you _not know_ what a unicorn is?”

  


Gaster placed a hand on her shoulder as a gesture for her to lie back.

  


“There are many human matters I am not aware of.” He confessed.

  


“But a unicorn is like- ancient, right?” She faltered and sat back into the pillow, utterly appalled that there was someone who didn’t know what a unicorn was. Perhaps it’s the pills talking, but there was no way she would let that go on.

  


“Ya’know what a horse is, right?” She rambled on as he discarded the old gauze and began to lay a new one over the stitches. She was briefly curious what the wound actually looked like, but there were more important things to worry about for the time being.

  


“Yes.”

  


“Okay, well, there you go. It’s basically just a horse, but with a long horn on its head.” She explained, tapping her forehead expressively.

  


“Like a minotaur?”

  


“... **_How,_ ** can you know what a minotaur is, but not a unicorn!?”

  


Gaster shrugged and put her shirt back into place, pulling the blanket back up over her middle. He turned his attention to the bandage on the side of her face.

  


“And aren't minotaurs and unicorns from the same mythology? Greek mythology, right? I think… Well maybe not.” Her words got more and more sluggish as she aimlessly chattered.

  


“Uh, guys, not that I’m complaining, but why are we t-talking about unicorns again?”

  


Emily hadn’t noticed that Alphys returned and was now hovering over them with a baffled look.

  


“He doesn’t know what a unicorn is!”

  


Alphys turned to Gaster and gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth in shock.

  


“What? Gaster, how can you not know what a unicorn is!” She exclaimed. He continued to slowly peel the tape in a seemingly disinterested manner.

  


“That's what I said!” Emily agreed and flinched when the tape caught a strand of her hair. “That’s like not knowing who Elvis is or something!”

  


Alphys expression went from stunned to quizzical.

  


“Who’s Elvis?”

  


Emily stared back at her unbelievably, almost not sure those words in that order even existed.

  


“A musician.” Gaster chimed in casually.

  


“Oh god.” Emily moaned, running her hands over her face and keeping them there. “If I wasn’t dead before, I am now. You’ve killed me.”

  


“What!?” Alphys squawked worriedly.

  


“She’s being dramatic.” Gaster assures her, and Alphys relaxed a little. “It seems the pills we gave her have that effect.” He gives her a brief look of annoyance. He was really beginning to doubt that this human could be an unstoppable death machine. If so, he didn’t expect a harbinger of death to be so… sarcastic.

  


“Watch it.” Emily cautioned with an accusing finger.

  


“Or what? You’ll turn me into a toad?”

  


“She can do that!?” Alphys gasped.

  


“No!” Emily snapped. “I’m not a witch!”

  


“Aww…” Alphys sulked, a little disappointed, but then perked up almost instantly. “W-wait, is this banter? Are we all getting along? This is great!” She clapped her hands together excitedly.

 

Even though it was usually hard for Alphys to find them, she was always a big believer in making friends instead of enemies.

 

After all, most of the anime she watched said friendship was the greatest power. And what could be a more powerful ally, than a human! And banter was usually the first step to said friendship.

  


“What?” Emily sputtered. “We are not-”

  


“Brace yourself.” Gaster warned.

  


“For wha- OW, FUCK.” Emily barely got a word in edgewise before he abruptly ripped the medical tape from the side of her face off in one swift pluck.

  


“Language.” He uttered and quickly taped and pressed down the new bandage onto her head before she had the chance to pull away.

  


“Jesus, you call that a warning?” She fussed and sorely rubbed at the burning skin.

  


He made no comment as he backed away and returned the rest of the supplies to the cabinet. She huffed and fumed silently where she lay, staring at a light on the ceiling blankly.

  


The room went oddly quiet and Emily felt herself growing more and more sleepy with each passing second. She didn’t know she dozed off until she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. It was becoming a habit.

  


She opens her eyes to see a cup of water being offered to her.

  


“Drink.”

  


Emily sighed, not really in the mood to be doing this right now. She took it reluctantly, drinking it all in one go and then handing the empty cup back. The atmosphere was unusually peaceful, so naturally she found it very annoying when he decided to ruin it.

  


“Do you want to talk about it?” He questioned.

  


The way he asked made it feel more like a command.

  


“About what.” Emily didn’t bother keeping her eyes open. She hoped he would notice and get the hint.

  


“Your injuries.”

  


_‘Please shut up.’_

  


“What about them.” She replied dully.

  


“They are very… extensive.”

  


“Why don’t we talk about this later. I’m tired.” Emily uttered and shifted onto her side.

  


It really was the truth. There was a pause in the air and she waited to see what he would say. Gaster considered this. At the moment, there were no pressing injuries that he needed further elaboration on from her.

 

“Very well. I trust though, that you will tell me if there are any other issues I need to be aware of, in order to properly treat you. ”

 

“You must be pretty fond of this king guy to be going through all of this trouble.” Emily uttered.

 

“It’s my job.” He replied simply.

 

“So if he said he wanted me, let's say, disposed of, would you do that also?” Emily cracked an eye open and peered over at him to judge his response. He seemed unaffected and was clipping papers back into his trusty clipboard. She would have preferred to see him walk out the door, but instead he sat down.

  


“I feel obligated to tell you that although you seem stable, there may be damage we aren’t aware of, and may not be able to fix.”

  


“Don’t worry about it.” Emily mumbled sleepily. She noticed he didn’t answer her question.

  


“I’m not worried.” He replied sincerely. “Merely pointing out the facts.”

  


_‘Jeez, cold much.’_ Emily thought bitterly. She decided not to dwell on the fact that death was still a possibility.

 

“As long as I can leave, I’m happy.” She reminded him. “And I have your word, right? I _can_ leave.”

 

“Yes.” He assured her.

 

Emily nodded and seemed to believe it. He made a mental note to call the king and discuss just how they were going to handle this new complication. At this point It wasn’t matter of _if_ she would find out, but _when_.

 

And he wanted to make sure that when the time came to tell her, the right people were there to deal with the possible consequences.

 

“As for your injuries,” He continued. “We will know in the next few days if there are any serious underlying problems. In the meantime, I think you should seriously consider-...”

 

His voice was starting to drown out and Emily's eyes wandered about the room as she began grew bored. She spotted Alphys lying motionless at her desk, her head resting in her arms. There was a pen clutched in one hand as if she had fallen asleep writing mid sentence, and appeared to be snoring softly.

 

“Your buddy there seems to be asleep.” She mentioned. Gaster stop talking and frowned, looking over his shoulder to see that his partner was in fact, sleeping. By the time he turned back to Emily he saw she also drifted off.

 

He tiredly sighed and sat back, bringing a hand up to the side of his face and leaning into it and closing his eyes.

 

_‘Perhaps they have the right idea.’_

 

He decided in a few minutes he would wake up Alphys and order her to get some rest in a more comfortable place. There was no way he would allow her to sleep in the same room as the human. Afterwards, he would return to some work that needed finishing.

 

In the meantime though, he sat quietly, taking advantage of the peaceful moment to reflect on everything that had happened in the past two hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing is hard. And sometimes it's fun!  
> But you know what never changes?  
> There. Are. ALWAYS. TYPOS.  
> I go over a chapter again, and again before I post it, and I even reread it fives times to the point that I'm bored to tears with it. But there's always one! Ugh! Typos are horrible! They break the immersion and they're just kinda embarrassing, honestly. So basically, if you come across any, I'm sorry! I have a new technique now where I have a text-to-voice thing read my story back to me as an extra precaution, because I sometimes go back into a previous chapters, and I STILL find them.  
> Oh well. Chill out, Ally. *whew*  
> Anyways, thanks to those of you who follow my story!  
> You're a huge motivator, and don't ever undervalue your role in this story, because without you guys there literally IS no story.  
> Just me, yelling into the void.  
> And as we all know, the void sucks.


	10. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Say it with me kids:  
> Ally needs to stop fucking procrastinating.

When Emily awoke, the room was still mostly quiet, save for the occasional clicking of a keyboard. She didn’t really have to look over to know it was probably Alphys. Emily stayed in bed quietly, staring off to the side of the room. Her mind feels very clear for the first time in a long, long, while. Things had changed so much in such a small amount of time, it felt like she could sit for years thinking about it and still not grow accustomed to the new world she’d fallen into.

 

“Uh, hi.”

 

Alphys noticed the human had woken up quite a while ago. She quietly wondered up until this moment when it would be the right time to make that known.

 

Emily glanced over at her and blinks for a moment before sitting up.

 

“Hey.” She mumbles distantly and gingerly tossed the covers off. She shivered when goosebumps from the cold air formed over her exposed legs. A quick scan of the room showed her that the other monster wasn't around.

 

_‘Good. That’ll make this easier.’_

 

“...Wh-where are you going?” Alphys stuttered and nervously spun her computer chair to face her.

 

“I gotta go to the bathroom. Is that allowed down here?”

 

“Oh- right.” Alphys said. “I forgot about that. Um, the door over there has a bathroom in it.”

 

“Great. Be right back.” Emily huffed and slid off the bed. Alphys hesitantly got up and walked over to her.

 

“Do you need help? I mean, uh, with walking obviously. Not going to the bathroom. Um… Unless you actually need help with that. If so, then I can... try? Not that I would know _how-_ to help.”

 

Alphys wanted to curl up and die at this point.

 

“Uh. Sure.” Emily accepted her offer, the shaky grip on the bedside already making her knuckles go white.

 

Alphys smiled and nodded, and then paused. “...So, with walking, right?”

 

“Yes. With walking. Please.”

 

“O-okay.” Alphys went to her side and her heart quickened as Emily put a hand over her shoulder and used her as support to walk to the bathroom.

 

“Oh, also, there are some c-clothes in there for you, when you’re ready to wear them. I, uh, p-picked them out myself, so I hope you like them. Just tell me if they don’t fit when you’re up to trying them on… O-or if you don’t like them.”

 

“Great, thanks.” She thanked her quietly and shut the door behind her.

 

Alphys stood at the door for a moment, completely floored from the close, completely nonviolent interaction she had just shared with a human. With a content smile she ambled over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of pills for when Emily came back out.

 

Emily wasn’t sure what she expected on the other side of the door, but it turned out to be just an ordinary looking bathroom. She didn’t really understand why they even had one, if they apparently had no use for it. Thankfully, there was also a small shower in the corner. Even though she was already pretty clean -another thing she decided not to dwell on too much- a hot shower seemed the perfect thing for her sore muscles. Sadly, a shower would have to wait, at least until she had something suitable for protecting the cast on her arm. She made a mental note to ask Alphys about it.

 

After finishing her business, she inspected the clothes that Alphys had left on a chair for her. They were very casual, thankfully. A pair of black sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. The bra and underwear were definitely hers, another thing she was thankful for, and they were washed it seemed. There were even a pair of comfy looking tan slippers. She held up the pants and noticed three red hearts on the side of one of the pant legs.

 

_‘Cute.’_

 

Her broken arm was pretty much useless at the moment, so she didn’t even bother going through the effort of trying them on. They seemed the right size anyways. She went to wash her hands and her breath caught in her throat. She took a small step away from what gazed back at her in the mirror.

 

There was a large, nasty black bruise that covered a large area on the side of her face. Tiny purple splotches where her skin had been impacted feathered out onto her cheek, and there were small scrapes and cuts in random places almost everywhere her eyes fell. She didn’t even want to know what was under that bandage that covered the stinging sutured wound over her stomach. Another step back showed even more bruises that traveled down her neck and over her shoulders. She felt a cold icy fear starting to seep into her blood as she began to study them more closely.

 

‘ _How could this have happened?_ ’ She thought in disgust, turning from side to side while lifting her arms up to get a better look at herself.

 

She stared for what felt like an eternity at the thing that was her reflection and had just started to peel back a bandage over her collarbone when a sudden knock on the door snapped her out of it.

 

“Emily? Are you okay? It’s k-kinda been awhile.” Alphys asked timidly through the door.

 

“Y-yeah.” She stuttered a response and quickly pressed the tape back down. “Be out in a sec.”

 

Alphys greeted her at the door with two pills and a bottle of water. Emily took them without a second thought and returned to her bed, noticing a bowl of soup sitting on a table next to it.

 

“I would t-try to finish that before my partner comes to check up on you. He was pretty adamant about getting you to eat.” Alphys informed her and sat back at the desk, a steaming cup of noodles in her hands now.

 

“Okay.”

 

Alphys stirred her noodles and watched her with growing concern. Emily was sitting cross legged on the bed now, the sheets wrapped around her almost like a protective shield. She was slowly drinking from the plastic bottle and staring off into the distance, scratching absentmindedly at the cast on her arm.

 

“You... look kinda pale. Are you sure you're okay? Are you feeling feverish?”

 

“M’fine.” Emily replied dimly. “How was your sleep?”

 

Alphys didn’t really like the way she was speaking. It was lifeless and it felt like Emily was barely acknowledging her- as if she were deep in thought. Not to mention she hadn’t once made eye contact with her since she left the bathroom.

 

“Um… Fine? It was fine. I got here awhile ago, actually. I wanted to be here when you woke up in case you needed anything. You slept a _really_ long time, though. Like, really long. I watched like, five movies waiting for you to get up. When I realized you were finally awake, I didn’t wanna be weird so I figured I’d say hi…”

 

 _‘..._ _But then you looked over and I assumed you realized I was here. Didn't wanna be weird so figured I'd say hi...’_

 

“Wh-what?” Emily snapped her head towards Alphys and gaped at her in shock. “What did you say?”

 

“Uuh…” Alphys hesitated and fidgeted apprehensively in her seat. “I-...I finished five movies? They were okay I guess-”

 

“-No, that’s not what-.” Emily’s breathing began to quicken and she pulled the sheets closer to her chest, trying to regain some control over the heart starting to thump harder in her rib-cage.

 

_‘-Woah, woah, no rush, I ain’t gonna murder you, sheesh...’_

 

“Something's wrong.” Emily said sharply, her voice dripping with panic. She stared down that the sheets in her lap, trying to make sense of the sudden confusing static in her mind. Her heart beat even faster now, to the point where it felt like it just might detach itself and try to jump out of her throat.

 

“What?” Alphys got up so fast that her computer chair rolled backwards and bumped the cabinet behind her.

 

Alphys must have responded in some way, but Emily’s ears were ringing too loudly for her to hear anything but her own hammering heartbeat. The crumpled white bed sheets that made up her vision grew fuzzy and distant and were suddenly replaced with adrenaline soaked images, as terrifying sights and sounds began to trickle in, in a distorted manner. There was a smell in the air… No, in her mind. The smell of trees and dirt was heavy in the cold forest air. It clung to her clothes, and to her skin, pulling her in even deeper. The bottle fell from her hands and rolled off the side of the bed onto the floor, leaving a spilled trail of water behind it.

 

Alphys was panicking as well now. Emily was starting to make strange noises and it sounds like she was struggling to breathe. Alphys ran to her side, a heavy sense of dread starting to set in.

 

“Emily what's wrong? Can you breathe? Are you getting air?” She bombarded her with worried rushed questions.

 

Emily tried to answer her, nodding between gasps, and Alphys could see she was shaking and pale.

 

_‘All ya had to do was talk to me. I’m a nice guy. We could of been friends.’_

 

“Oh god-” Emily whimpered as buried memories in her mind continued to resurface.

 

There was no way of making it stop. Her stomach lurched when she could remember the smell of his vile breath on her neck and felt his hands on her skin. She threw a hand up to her mouth and silently pleaded with herself to keep whatever she had left in her stomach in its proper place. She doesn't think her ribs could stand to go through that again. Fingernails dug into the bruised flesh on her arm as she clung to herself and started to sob into her palm, unable to hold it in anymore. The urge to run burned in her legs and the only thing keeping her grounded now was the tight grip she kept on her arm.

 

Alphys was at a loss of what to do. Emily's reactions were starting to terrify her and nothing she was saying seemed to be getting through.

 

“Emily, please, t-tell me what to do, tell me what’s-” She placed a hand on her arm in an attempt to reach her, but was cut off when Emily suddenly jerked back and moved away from her so quickly, Alphys thought she might actually fall off the bed. Instead she retreated up to the wall, her eyes wide and terrified. The covers were clutched tightly in her hands now, as if they were her only lifeline back to sanity.

 

Alphys instantly felt guilty upon seeing the fearful reaction. She raised her hands up in a defensive gesture and took a step back.

 

“O-Okay, okay-” Alphys said soothingly, trying not to make any sudden movements. “Just-Just stay right here, alright? I’ll go get Gaster, he’ll know what to-”

 

“ **NO!** ” Emily shouted and pulled her knees into her chest, burying her face into the sheets. “Don’t get _anyone!_ ”

 

The bruise on her face rubbed sorely against the sheets and Emily flinched and shook even harder when she recalled the blow to her head that caused the sore marks on her face.

 

It all made sense now. The strange nagging feelings. The bruises. The cuts.

 

 _‘Oh god, the cuts…’_ Another choked sob broke out of her chest.

 

“Alright, I won’t get anyone, just-” Alphys felt another panicky stutter coming on and she forced herself to take a breath and calm down before going on.

 

“Please, Emily, t-tell me whats happening-”

 

“He-... He tried to-” Emily stammered. Her words died off and she started to cry even harder as she struggled to get the words out. Her side was screaming in pain, but that wasn’t what was killing her inside. Talking coherently was impossible. It was just too much. She gave up on trying to communicate and instead buried her face back into the sheets.

 

It didn’t take long after these broken words for Alphys to put the pieces together.

 

“Is… Is this about what happened to you? You remembered?” She asked.

 

Emily curled into herself even tighter and continued to weep. Alphys waited anxiously for her to respond, but it seemed like she was too panic-stricken by whatever was happening in her own mind to get anything out.

 

A few minutes had passed now, and Emily still hadn’t answered her. Alphys grew more and more concerned with each passing second.

 

She didn’t know how to handle this at all, and all she wanted to do at this point was run and get Gaster. There was no doubt in her mind that he would probably know what to do. But Emily seemed very adamant on _not_ having anyone else in the room, and Alphys didn’t want to risk upsetting her even further.

 

_'Alright... Your'e just going to have to deal with it.'_

 

Alphys sighed defeatedly and went to grab her chair. Pushing it over to the bedside, she sat down with an uneasy expression and did the only thing she could think of.

 

“What happened? You can tell me… If you want to. It c-could help...” Alphys really didn’t want to hear whatever Emily might have to say, but she decided that how she felt wasn’t really important at the moment.

 

Emily’s head nodded in response, but it took a few more minutes for her to actually calm down. She coughed hoarsely and cleared her throat, finally raising her head and wiping her nose.

 

“I-I-It’s because of-... _him._ It’s _his_ fault I fell d-down here.” She drawled.

 

Alphys saw the pain and fear that was etched into her face turn to rage in almost an instant. The venom in her voice was enough to make her cringe.

 

“I was in the woods, and it was d-dark. I was doing research-...” She continued, catching her breath between some words. “And I was alone… I was so s-stupid.” Emily’s face twisted in anguish and she buried her face into her hands once again, her breath coming in sharp gasps as if she were going to start sobbing at any second. “Allen and my boss are probably worried. I c-can't believe I was _so_ _stupid_.”

 

“It wasn’t your fault.” Alphys objected sadly. “Y-you didn’t do this to yourself.”

 

Emily shook her head regretfully and took a much needed deep breath. She talked herself into slowing her breathing, and swallowed her anger down the best that she could. With a weak nod she wiped her face again and went on.

 

“I t-tried to run but my foot got caught and-.” She laid a shaky hand over the bandages wrapped around her ribs and then moved it down to the one over her stomach.

 

Disgust gripped her chest when she thought about just how submissive she had become when she felt the sharp edge of a blade against her skin.

 

“He-... h-had a knife, I couldn't fight back… Right?” Emily finally locked eyes with her for the first time and Alphys felt her heart squeeze. They were pleading and desperate, as if she was searching for some kind of validation. Alphys nodded solemnly, not really sure how to answer her. It seemed logical though.

 

“What happened after that?”

 

“You mean did he rape me?” Emily spoke bitterly and swallowed tensely. “...No. It didn’t get that far.”

 

Alphys assumed this already, she was merely confirming the facts. The more “extensive,” examination they had done showed this much was probably true. This knowledge didn’t lessen how disturbing the assault was, though. It was very obvious that she was distraught, and horribly affected, no matter how far the encounter had went.

 

“I got a lucky hit. So I ran… and I kept running. It gets- ...hazy, after that. It was dark, and I fell, and somewhere along the way I ended up here.”

 

As disturbing as it was, Alphys was relieved that Emily was finally remembering things. And now there was no doubt that it was a human who had attacked her. Emily pulled the covers up to her shoulders and laid down onto her side, not bothering to rest her head on the pillows. She twisted into a fetal position and laid motionless, the only sound she made now was an occasional sniffle.

 

“Emily.” Alphys felt bad about interrogating her, but it was necessary. “This person who did this to you. Did they follow you here? We had some monsters investigate the ruins, but they d-didn’t find anyone.”

 

Emily shook her head and took another shaky breath before she answered.

 

“Even if he did follow me, I never saw him after I started running. I’m pretty sure I lost him, long before I fell. I don’t really remember how long I ran after that… But it felt like a long time...”

 

The possibility that that man could possibly be close, terrified Emily for a few seconds. Even being locked away in a room, underground, where no one even knew where she was, wasn’t enough to make her feel safe. But as much as she never wanted to be anywhere near him again, she also felt like she would kill for the chance to see him just once more.

 

Emily had never really considered herself to be a violent individual.

 

That being said, sinking a knife into a person's neck had never seemed so appealing up until now.

 

Emily sighed and curled up into herself even tighter, a little disturbed by the very new feeling of hot rage pooling in her veins. She didn't know it was possible to feel such anger.

 

“I just want to go home.” Emily whispered tiredly.

 

Alphys couldn’t help but feel pity for her when she heard this. Yesterday she seemed to be improving, she was even laughing apparently, but now it looked like she was back down to square one again. And now it was going to be even worse as soon as Alphys told her the truth.

 

“I think… there's something y-you should know…” Alphys hesitated and then sighed.

 

“I think… The reason you c-couldn’t remember is because you were in shock. You might have repressed the memory, which is why you couldn’t recall much from before you woke up. Not to mention, you were pretty confused, waking up surrounded by strange people that you didn’t know. Your brain wouldn’t have had time to cope with the previous... encounter, because it was too busy trying to adjust to the present one. And who knows how the medicine we gave to you might have played into it… Chemically that is.”

 

Alphys felt guilty for wimping out, but she just didn’t have the courage to tell her of the truth about their prison. She wasn’t even sure if Emily could even handle it at this time, so she figured keeping her mouth shut might actually be for the best. She wondered if that was just an excuse for being a coward though.

 

Emily listened to her explanation silently, and thought for a moment.

 

“So… No brain damage, then?”

 

“Uh, well I can’t _guarantee_ that. It’s j-just a theory really. I’m no expert, but I’ve done more research on what little we have on human psychology, than mostly anyone else down here, and there are records of things like that. There can be a lot of signs of brain trauma in humans, and you don't really seem to be exhibiting them. Um…Besides the memory loss. But like I said...”

 

Alphys wished those records would have included how to deal with said conditions.

 

“Did these “studies,” happen to mention when I stop feeling like shit? Cause’ I would like to know _that_ also.” Emily asked gloomily. She was glad the uncontrollable sobbing had ceased, but the tears never really stopped coming. Neither did the constant feeling of violation.

 

“No… Sorry.”

 

Alphys sat deflated, and watched her idly, not sure what to say now.

 

“I’m sorry, Emily.” She finally settled on. “That all sounds really horrible.”

 

It didn’t truly convey the horror and pity that she felt, but it would have to do. Emily grunted sluggishly in response.

 

“I want to sleep…” Emily mumbled. How her mind could be so on edge, and her body could be so tired, was an enigma. Emily wished she would feel something _other_ than exhaustion and confusion for once.

 

“Okay.” Alphys went to get up to leave, but Emily suddenly reached out and grabbed the sleeve of her lab coat.

 

“No,” She stopped her. “I need to sleep _now._ ”

 

Confused, Alphys studied her face for a second before it clicked.

 

“The only thing we have down here that works for humans is an injection.”

 

Alphys didn’t like where Emily was going with this.

 

“I don’t care.”

 

 _‘Okay, that was only a little disturbing.’_ Alphys thought with a nervous side glance.

 

“What about your fear? I thought-”

 

“That doesn’t matter anymore.”

 

“I just gave you pills.” Alphys reasoned. “I c-can’t risk mixing your medication like that.”

 

Emily didn’t respond to this, but she didn’t let go either.

 

“Look-” Alphys sighed. “I need to report to Dr. Gaster. I’ll ask him what he thinks about it, okay? But I d-doubt he’ll agree. Uh, will you be okay? On your own, that is. I don’t have to go right now, if you don’t want me to.”

 

Emily drew another shaky breath and let go of the sleeve, nodding slowly.

 

“I’m fine.” It was the farthest thing from the truth, but she figured a little time alone wouldn't be lethal.

 

“Alright. I’ll be back. Just… Try to get some rest. If you can’t, maybe try to eat?” She suggested.

 

Emily nodded again and watched her as she went to leave.

 

“Hey, um, Alphys?” She croaked meekly, and Alphys stopped at the door.

 

“Y-yeah?”

 

“...You can call me Em.”

 

“Oh… O-okay.” Alphys gave her a small smile and closed the door softly behind her.

 

Emily delicately pulled a pillow into her arms and hugged it, crying into it softly.

  
_‘Today really sucks.’_


	11. A Decorative Coffee Mug Might Be the Difference Between Life and Death

As Emily waited for sleep to embrace her in its comforting arms, she tried _very_ hard to take her mind off of the raw new memories that continued to replay over, and over, in her head. She tried to think about her precious fluffy cat, Newton, but that backfired almost immediately. The thought of her baby waiting at home for her these past few days, alone and probably with an empty food bowl, just made her cry harder. Hopefully Allen would check the house soon when he realized she was gone.

 

She wonders if people were even looking for her by now. More time passed and her wish came true as an uneasy sleep came over her.

 

As it turned out, sleep probably wasn’t the best thing. The phrase, “be careful what you wish for,” came to mind when she woke up for the third time.

 

Sharp voices and images of blurry trees tormented her subconscious anytime she drifted too far off. With an exasperated sigh, she grievously slid out of bed and used the small table next to her to stand up and steady herself. Her hand caught the tray resting on top of it, but she didn’t care too much when the bowl of soup flew off and spilled over the white floor. She stumbled over to the bathroom, a pillow under her arm, and absentmindedly locked the door behind her. A shower might have been nice, but she was just too tired. Shutting off the lights, she layed down onto the cool tile floor and breathed contently.

 

_‘Much better...’_

 

Not long after Emily fell asleep, Alphys was already quickly making her way back. Gaster was following close behind, but it was decided by Alphys that he would remain in the hall unless she gave the word for him to enter. He wasn’t very fond of this plan, but if Alphys insisted on it then he would do it.

 

Alphys cracked the door open and peeked inside, trying to see if she had fallen asleep yet, without being too noisy.

 

“Uh… Arri?” Alphys turned and nervously addressed the guard dog in the hall. “Did the human come out by any chance?”

 

Gaster didn’t bother to wait for a response. He pushed the door open and walked past her, examining the room hastily. The bed was empty and he apprehensively notices the bowl of soup lying on the floor. Alphys motioned to the guard to stay put and closed the door behind her, looking around anxiously.

 

“S-she said she was tired. I figured she’d just go back to sleep.” Alphys spoke, dumbfounded, and got on her knees to check under the bed. The thought of a confused scared human wandering the underground was dangerous _and_ terrifying.

 

Gaster walked over to the bathroom and tested the knob. When it caught in his hand he exhaled in relief and turned to Alphys.

 

“Locked?” She asked hopefully and stood up with a huff when he nodded. He moved aside as she approached and knocked on the door softly.

 

“Emily?” She turned the knob testingly, desperate for some kind of response.

 

...Nothing.

 

Alphys anxiously looked up to Gaster for help. He nodded again and raised his hand. His fingers outstretched and moved slightly in a circular motion, and in another moment the lock on the other side turned with a faint click. Alphys slowly opened the door and switched the lights on.

 

Emily was sleeping soundly, curled up on the floor with her head resting on a pillow. Alphys tip toed over to her side and leaned over to check her breathing, just to make sure she wasn’t dead or anything. Gaster fidgeted with the glasses in his hands impatiently as he waited for some kind of confirmation and finally made a short restless cough.

 

Alphys peeked her head back out the door and gave him a thumbs up.

 

“She’s just sleeping.” Alphys whispered.

 

“Not anymore.” Emily suddenly muttered unhappily from the floor.

 

“Oh.” Alphys gave a small guilty laugh and strolled back over. “Oops, I thought I was being quiet.”

 

“That light is bright enough to wake the dead… And I know you're back there E.T..”

 

Alphys fiddled with her lab coat and cleared her throat guiltily.

 

“Uh… Sorry. I wasn’t gonna let anyone in, but you kinda disappeared for a second there and so we got worried…”

 

Upon hearing this, Gaster pushed the door open and peeked in, lingering in the doorway warily.

 

“Miss Stella.” He greeted her easily. “How are you feeling?”

 

Emily sat up and rubbed her puffy eyes. There just wasn’t enough in her to cry anymore, but that didn’t hinder her gloomy mood.

 

“Like shit.”

 

It was the biggest understatement of the year. Not only was she exhausted, she couldn’t even _recall_ a time in her life when she’d felt more miserable.

 

“Understandable. Though, I imagine laying in bed would be much more comfortable than lying on the floor.” He suggested.

 

Emily disagreed, but nodded her head in agreement anyways and Alphys put a hand under her elbow to help her up. Gaster decided to assist and steadied her other arm as they helped her back across the room and into bed.

 

“Thanks.” Emily spoke quietly and carefully situated herself into a slumped sitting position. Alphys brought her a cup of water and frowned when she refused it. “...I’m assuming you know already.” She added.

 

“We suspected as much. Your recollection merely confirmed our suspicions.”

 

“Oh that's great.” Emily said sourly. “So everyone knew but me… Why didn’t you say something?” She got the feeling she was getting annoyed with the wrong person, but she figured it wasn’t an unfair question.

 

“When we realized you couldn’t recall any memories of the incident, we decided it would have been best to remain passive towards the issue. The extent of your injuries were still very unknown at the time and we were unsure how you may have countered.” He explained.

 

Gaster noticed with annoyance that a few of her bandages had come loose, but remained sensitive to the fact that now might not be the best time to try fixing them.

 

Emily blankly stared at him and then turned to Alphys.

 

“Can you repeat that, but in a way an actual person can understand.”

 

Alphys sighed and picked the tray up from the floor and set in on the table.

 

“You’re hurt pretty bad, and we were worried if we told you that you might have freaked out.”

 

“Oh, okay... It's a good thing you guys did that, because having someone calmly tell me that I had been brutally assaulted, would have been _way_ worse than remembering out of literally nowhere and having no idea what's happening. Dodged a real bullet with that one. Thanks.” Emily muttered and threw the covers over her head and plopped down onto her side.

 

“It’s perfectly reasonable to be angry-”

 

Emily interrupted him in a muffled voice and Alphys and Gaster looked at each other for a brief confused moment.

 

“Uh…” Alphys spoke. “What?”

 

Emily threw the covers off with an impatient huff.

 

“I said I’m not angry. I’m just tired.” With that she disappeared back into the covers. “ _Very_ tired.”

 

“I’m sorry to tell you that a sedative is out of the question. The injection we gave you before was only to be used as a last measure, anyhow.” Gaster intoned.

 

“Ugh. I’m never gonna live that down, am I…” Alphys griped. “Sooo, we can’t really give you that. Well. we can, but uh, we shouldn’t.”

 

Alphys waited patiently, but she didn’t reply.

 

“Em…” She hesitated. “Just tell us what to do to make you more… comfortable.”

 

“I need to go.”

 

“You are still in no shape to be going anywhere.” Gaster reminded her.

 

“I _know_ that. So I agree.”

 

“You agree?” Alphys questioned.

 

“You said you can make me better in a week. Do it.”

 

After all of the arguing and stubbornness, Gaster almost didn’t believe what he was hearing.

 

“You agree to the treatment?”

 

“Isn’t that what I said?” Emily groaned. “I have some things that need to be taken care of. Whoever did this to me is not getting off the hook that easily. The sooner I get out of here the better.” She didn’t know how or when, but he was gonna pay. It made her blood boil just thinking about it.

 

Gaster recognized the bloodlust in her voice so clearly, that it might as well have been painted on her face in bright red paint.

 

“Very well then. You do remember that we will be using an IV.”

 

“I remember.”

 

“You seem to have gotten over that fear awfully fast.” He dared.

 

It was a curiosity more than anything.

 

“It’s like you said,” She pointed out in a hollow tone and met his eyes with an empty look. “A tiny puncture isn’t very high on my list of concerns.”

 

He held her gaze for a few moments, not really sure how to label the expression on her face. Blank? Apathetic? Jaded? Either way, it seemed determined. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing.

 

Gaster decided questioning her further was probably not very wise.

 

“We’ll start tomorrow.” He spoke finally.

 

Emily nodded and turned away and snuggled back into the covers.

 

“Alphys, when she's ready, will you please mend the bandages and check the sutures? I have a phone call to make.”

 

Alphys nodded and Gaster briskly exited, presumably off to call Asgore with yet another update. Alphys thought it wouldn’t be so tiring if Asgore wasn’t the type to gab on forever over the phone. Be it tea, gardening, his precious son, or his graceful and beautiful wife, Asgore always had time for painfully long phone calls. Not even Gaster was capable of curtly ending their conversations, and he was, well… Gaster. This usually led to him showing up every odd once in awhile, a cell phone in hand, and a pleading look on his face, begging her to take over the call so he could escape back to whatever work he was doing.

 

After recovering some supplies from a cabinet, Alphys returned to see Emily had fallen asleep.

 

She made it look so easy.

 

She carefully redressed the wound on her head and on her collarbone. With a gentle nudge, Emily grunted and rolled over, allowing her to fix the bandage on her stomach. Thankfully, the stitches were still intact. After she finished, Alphys sat quietly at her desk in intense thought.

 

Alphys was very prone to stress, but lately it was piling on even more with everything that had transpired in the past few days. She stared down at the cell phone in her hand for a moment before taking a short breath and dialing. It rang for an eternity, and Alphys was just about to back out when the other end suddenly connected.

 

“Alphys?...” A sleepy voice piped up over the speaker. “Do you know what time it is? Why aren’t you asleep?”

 

“Oh, u-uh, hey Undyne. S-sorry I forgot about the t-time. I’ll, uh, c-call back later.”

 

“No!” Undyne screeched suddenly and Alphys had to move the phone away from her ear to avoid going deaf from the sudden outburst. “I mean- it’s cool. Totally cool. I woulda been up in about seven or eight hours anyways... Is that egghead making you work late again? If he is, let me know. I’ll kick his ass for you. I don’t care how creepy he is.”

 

Alphys chuckled and hugged the phone warmly to her cheek.

 

“That’s not really necessary. Work is… interesting. Besides, I’m pretty sure he’s freaking invincible or something like that. I wouldn't risk that.”

 

“That just makes me want to fight him more... So, what’s up, nerd?”

 

“Uh…I just wanted to… t-talk.” Alphys glanced over at the sleeping human and paused. “About this movie I watched, that is. Let me find a better place though, people are um, working.”

 

When Emily woke up again the room was empty.

 

It was awfully dark. And there were birds. They were chirping lively. Which didn’t make sense, since she was sure mockingbirds didn’t really live underground. Much less in creepy underground buildings. Emily sat up and noticed her arms and legs felt heavy. Even heavier now with the adrenaline running through them now that she noticed the birds had stopped and that someone's breath was on her ear.

 

“Such a pretty face.” Emily froze on the spot as hands traveled up her arms and rested over her neck. The voice sounded frighteningly familiar, but she just couldn’t place the face.

 

“Sure would be a shame if someone just…”

 

Emily awoke with a start a second time and scanned the room frantically for any signs of her attacker. Her eyes fell instead on an equally confused Gaster who was leaning over in front of Alphys monitor, a coffee mug in one hand and another hand hovering over the keyboard. She was relieved to see no one else seemed to be in the room.

 

“A nightmare, Miss Stella?” He asked coolly and placed the mug down on the desk.

 

“...Yeah...” She said finally, her heart still pounding in her ears. “And its Emily.”

 

“I’m aware.”

 

“Hmph.” Emily grunted and fluffed her pillow before lying back down. “Cheeky…”

 

“Hmm?” He hummed inquisitively as he held the power button over the monitor. It shut off, leaving the room much darker than it previously was. Emily never had a fear of the dark, but she was also used to sleeping in her own room, which didn’t have strange monsters walking in and out and hovering over her in an agitating way.

 

“Nothing.” She muttered tiredly. “Where's…?”

 

“Alphys is on a personal call. I was merely collecting some data. I had no intention of disturbing you.” He spoke and casually collected his cup and a few papers from a printer. Emily watched with a growing fear as he suddenly turned and walked towards the door.

 

“Good night Miss Stella.”

 

“Wait!” Emily shouted suddenly and frantically shot up. Gaster paused with a hand over the knob and peered back at her with a puzzled brow.

 

“I-... uh, I mean, Don’t-” She stuttered.

 

“...Leave.”

 

Emily cringed, and at the moment she wanted nothing more than to just disappear. Any semblance of pride she possessed shriveled up and died with a fitting pathetic, cringe-filled whimper. Emily wasn’t the type the rely on _anyone_ for support _,_ and now suddenly she was begging like a child not to be left alone in the dark. It was embarrassing to say at the least.

 

Of course there is no one here. Of course there is no one sitting in the shadows, just waiting until she was alone to strike. Of course there isn’t someone hiding in the bathroom, just waiting for the chance to-

 

_‘Jesus Em, stop, not helpin. Damnit, that was really pathetic. Okay, you can still save it, just say you're tired, or confused... Maybe say it was the pills? Yeah! Plead insanity. They probably already think you're nuts by now, anyways. I mean, obviously he’s probably busy. He’s got other things to do, why would he want to stand around watching your pitiful-”_

 

“As you wish.” He replied, interrupting the train wreck going through her mind. The warm glow from the hallway disappeared and the room was shrouded in darkness once again as he softly closed the door and walked over to the bedside. Emily was at a loss of what to say as she listened to his footsteps and heard him take a seat.

 

“Uh… “ She started, unsure of how to respond to this. She suddenly very much regretted opening her big mouth. “You really don’t have to… I mean, if you’re busy- I didn't think-”

 

“I don’t mind at all. Alphys should be back soon, I’ll stay until she returns.” Emily's eyes adjusted to the darkness and she was almost able to make out his figure. He was leaning back in the chair and holding an arm up, checking a watch on his wrist as he spoke. “Besides,” He added lethargically. “It's been five hours since I last sat down.”

 

She wondered how he could even see the time in this darkness.

 

“Oh. Okay then.” Emily uttered. She regretted asking him to stay even more now. Sitting in a dark room with him just seemed awkward. It was like the setup to a cheesy 80’s horror movie. “...Thanks, I guess… It’s a nice change of company.”

 

“I was under the impression you got along with Alphys.”

 

“She’s…” Emily searched for the right word but didn’t know how to explain exactly what irked her. “I… don’t like being looked at like some kind of kicked, deadly contagious, puppy.”

 

“She means well.”

 

“I know, I’m just not ...used to it, I guess. I’m used to taking care of myself. Half the time-” A loud metallic clang made Emily sit up in a flash and she stared at the door suspiciously as if the knob would start to turn at any second.

 

“It’s just the building. It’s one of the older ones, and the pipes haven't exactly agreed with time. It’ll happen again in a few minutes.” He assured her, studying her reaction curiously. “There's nothing to be afraid of.”

 

“I’m not afraid.” Emily defended herself bitterly and settled back down. “...This place is just all dark and creepy. Has me on edge.”

 

“I could turn the lights on.” He offered.

 

“No.” Emily mumbled sleepily. “Too bright... Too bad you don’t glow in the dark.” Emily glanced over quickly just to make sure he wasn’t _actually_ glowing before continuing. “What kind of monster doesn’t glow in the dark?”

 

“Who said I don’t?”

 

“Really?” She asked doubtfully, raising her head off the pillow to take closer look.

 

“Well, no.”

 

“Hmph, didn’t think so.” With that she let her head fall back onto the pillow. Another dull clang rang out from above, but this time she was prepared for it.

 

“However...” He added thoughtfully.

 

A light suddenly flickered in the corner of her vision and Emily looked over to see a vivid flame flutter to life in the palm of his dark gloved hand. The space around them was filled with a warm orange glow that made the shadowed corners of the room look like they were crawling and retreating from the light. Emily sat up in awe and crawled over to the edge of the bed, leaning over curiously.

 

“Holy shit…” She murmured. “How?... You weren’t kidding about that magic thing, were you?”

 

“Not at all.” He said, a calm expression formed on his face as he watched the flame distantly.

 

“Does it… ya know, burn?” She wondered briefly if this was why he always wore the black gloves.

 

“Only if I will it to.”

 

Emily leaned over even farther and had to catch herself from face planting when her hand slipped forward. She retreated a little and sat back on her knees, not able to take her eyes off of the sight before her. A very welcomed, and almost childish, giddy feeling began to flutter in her chest. After all, what person _didn’t_ believe in magic as a kid?

 

“It can’t burn you? So if I touch it, would it burn me?” Emily asked and held out a hand as if she were asking permission.

 

“Only if I allow it too.” He answered and Emily felt he was being a bit repetitive.

 

“Okaaay.” She uttered and pulled her hand back cautiously. “That's a little vague so I’m gonna go ahead and not do that.”

 

Better safe than sorry, she reasoned.

 

“I assumed you wouldn't.”

 

Emily felt oddly challenged by this. Or maybe she just didn’t like having her character read constantly. Either way she ignored the remark.

 

She was learning to do that a lot with him lately.

 

“So uh, how do you do that?” Emily ventured and glanced at his expression. The way the glow flickered over his face was almost like a painting. Peaceful and animated, and maybe just a tad bit somber.

 

“Fire magic is one of the easiest forms of magic a monster can learn. It’s also the hardest to master.” He explained. “...So naturally I perfected the art.”

 

The flame grew in size in a short controlled burst and tiny spirals of flame leapt up and twirled in a short lived dance before dying in the open air.

 

“Pfft, you're a showoff.” Emily grinned. “...It is very pretty though.” She quietly added a few moments later. She found the mood very relaxing all of the sudden. She wonders if _she_ is capable of such a thing.  “And pretty wicked.”

 

He made an amused huff and Emily waited to see what was so merry.

 

“Funny, Alphys said almost the exact same thing around the time we first met.”

 

Emily saw the content expression on his face suddenly shift and fall flat.

 

“I’ve noticed she’s grown fond of you in a peculiar way. She can be-… unsure of herself at times, but she is remarkably compassionate. Not to mention a genius in more than one field. But as much as she might disagree, Alphys can be a bit naive.”

 

He fiddled with the flame absentmindedly as he dully spoke, and Emily noticed it flickering more frequently than before. Something told her there was a threat lingering on the edge of his words.

 

“I’m aware you have been through alot, and I do sympathize-”

 

_‘Wait, is he seriously doing this-”_

 

“That being said, Alphys is a kind soul, and if something unbecoming were to happen to her as a result of your presence… Well, I assure you...”

 

_‘Oh yeah, definitely a threat in there somewhere-’_

 

_“_ Y o u   w o u l d   b e   d e a d   w h e r e   y o u   s t a n d. _”_

 

His voice was ice cold and the air grew very still. Emily thought she even saw the dimming flame come to a standstill for a split second.

 

“But,” He spoke up suddenly before she could even begin to form any semblance of a response to whatever was happening. “I’m certain you will be sure to avoid any future unpleasantries.”  

 

The serious tone in his voice had vanished in an instant and was once again light hearted.

 

_‘Way to ruin the relaxing mood, asshole.’_  She wasn’t sure what she found more annoying, his constant distrust, or the way he always acted like he was in control.

 

“I-... What!?” Was all she could manage for the first few seconds. She could tell by the curious side glance that he was just _waiting_ to see how she would react. The brief thought that if by responding, she was playing right into this little game went across her mind.

 

Now she **_really_ ** regretted asking him to keep her company.

 

“What kind of person do you think I am?!” She was tired of this vague suspicion he seemed to always have. Even Alphys acted the same way sometimes, but at least she wasn’t rude.

“A dangerous one.”

 

“I've never hurt anyone in my life.”

 

“And a liar too, I see.”

 

Emily couldn’t believe it when she saw a slight smirk on his face.

 

“What is that supposed to mean? You’ve only known me for two days!”

 

“Everyone has hurt someone at least once in their lives, no matter how good their intentions, I’m no exception to that, and neither are you. Though, humans seem to be very good at living up to that rule.”

 

“Okay, back up. Are you giving me a life lecture…? No, wait.” Emily rubbed her face and groaned furiously. “I get assaulted, fall down into a hole, and almost _DIE_ , and out of all of the humans on the planet, which is a hefty number by the way- which you would know if you bothered to crawl _out of this hole._ ” She was pleased when she noticed a small twitch on his lips.

 

“Out of all of them, you’ve pegged _me_ a crazy? Nah. I don’t think so, buddy. You're prejudiced.”

 

“Prejudiced?”

 

Emily could have swore she heard him scoff.

 

“Yep. Prejudiced. Belief without basis, or information-”

 

“I’m very aware of what that word means, thank you. And I never said you were crazy because you were human, merely that you have a potential to be dangerous. A very large potential.”

 

“Yeah, maybe with you around.” Emily muttered and crossed her arms. “And just how did you figure that out then.”

 

Another silence filled the air and he seemed to be pondering how to answer that.

 

“You're apprehensive and analytical. When people talk, you don’t listen to them, you study them, like an animal sizing its prey. And behind those cunning eyes, I see a sizable amount of rage.”

 

“You’d be pretty fuckin’ pissed too if you went through the half the shit I just had to go through.”

 

Gaster gave what looked to be an agreeing nod, but his face was as callous and uninterested as ever. She wished he would react more hostily and not look so relaxed and composed. Emily was finding it harder and harder to keep her cool, but he looked like he just might fall asleep.

 

“That’s understandable. But the will to harm can put you in a very serious position in the Underground. Rage is a human's most lethal weapon. It is pure unbridled hatred. If you don’t control that flame, you may wind up doing something you regret. Even in the smallest action.”

 

“That…” Emily started. “Literally makes no sense. Stop being so vague and just spit out whatever you're trying to say.”

 

Gaster sighed and raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.

 

“The explanation you’re asking for is lengthy, and to be honest I’m not exactly interested in trying to put it into simple, “relatable” terms. Our king would do a much better job of explaining these things to you. And you _will_ be seeing him soon enough as it is.” He wiggled his fingers absentmindedly as he spoke. The flame slid over and under his nimble fingers playfully, almost like a coin would. It was oddly hypnotizing. “For the time being, I’m not too concerned. But just try to remember what I’ve said farther on in the future.”

 

Emily huffed and angrily plunked back down into the bed, turning away from him.

 

“Fine. Whatever. I’m not doing this now... But I’m not a murderer, and I’m not crazy. Get that in your thick skull. In case you haven't noticed, I’m actually very thankful for being alive right now. It’s great.” She informed him, her voice taking a more bitter and cynical tone. “I can’t imagine having lived life without experiencing your vague accusations and wonderful egotistical personality. I truly would have missed out.”

 

“You’re welcome.” He responded calmly, choosing to focus more on the fact that she was thankful. “And if I came off as rude, it was not my intention.”

 

“I don’t know about you, but from where I’m from, that would probably be considered pretty rude.”

 

“Apologies. I’m only trying to look out for my kind.”

 

“Yeah, we’ll if you don’t mind, I’ll do the same for myself. The second I’m able, I’ll be out. After all, I’m sure none of you want to be rubbing elbows with a _human_ for too long.”

 

“You’re being very dramatic. Did I personally offend you?”

 

“Naaah, I’m just not too fond of people who threaten my existence.” She said sarcastically.

 

“It was only if you threatened ours.”

 

“Yeah? And how long until that paranoia justifies something more rash? What if you decided that it just wasn’t worth the risk? How would you like it humans decided monsters were just too much of a threat, and might just decide to “ _do_ ” something about it. Kinda makes it hard not to feel threatened.”

 

Gasters hand froze and the spirited light simmered down into a fainter glow.

 

He found a shocking resemblance to a certain forgotten part of monster history in her words. Humans did once fear a monster's ability, the ability to absorb their souls. And they very much did decide to do something about it. Were the tables really so turned?

 

The notion that he could possibly share the same paranoid murderous intent of a human didn’t sit too well.

 

“Pay it no mind. No monster here has any will or intention of harming anyone. Including me.”

 

Emily grunted tiredly. She was still very irritated, but she was also pretty tired. And there was always tomorrow to clash egos and death threats.

 

_‘Oh joy.’_

 

“Good night.” She said, hoping it would end the conversation for good. Maybe if she pretended to fall asleep, he would get bored and leave.

 

“I suggest you get some sleep Miss Stella. I’d rather you be well rested before we start the treatment.”

 

“Was plannin’ on it.”

 

Emily tightly wrapped the covers around her and her breathing became more relaxed as the seconds ticked by. Despite the annoying distraction he had served, the vivid nightmare was still pretty fresh in her mind. Anxious nerves were still firing away, but having someone nearby did help a little. Even if they weren’t the most comforting of people. Or the most likeable.

 

The room went very quiet now and Emily didn’t find the following silence as awkward as she thought it might be. An uneasy sleep eventually made itself at home under her eyelids. It was deep enough that she didn’t even notice the door open to reveal Alphys’ peeping face. Gaster noticed her entrance and with a flick of his wrist the soft light disappeared and the room went dark again. She entered the room quietly with a smile and mouthed a thank you to him. Gaster nodded to her and silently slipped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. As always, there was work to do, and coffee to be brewed. He suddenly realized he left his mug behind.

 

A shame, considering he had already walked ten feet from the room by now and had no intention of turning back.

  
Maybe he would find time to retrieve it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm sans, I wonder where you got that from.  
> So I've been writing a lot of later chapters recently and, is it just me, or is writing chemistry between two people hard? Not to make you nervous that is.  
> I feel like that can kinda be a good thing for your characters though because, in a good story, I think two people who are "soul mates" or whatever should be designed as two independent people, and not just characters that serve the singular purpose of being love interest for each other. Each one has their own way of thinking and responding to situations, and romance is just kinda those two finding some way to adjust to that difference and become more close as they understand why the person is the way they are. Eventually, difference stops being "Why aren't they like ME," and becomes, "How does this affect "US." Just my two cents I guess! Idk maybe somehow it could help someone else writing!


	12. In the Hall of the Mountain King

 

Hospitals weren’t a thing Emily spent much time in.

 

The only times she actually went into one was when it was absolutely necessary, or when someone she cared about was staying in one. Emily always considered it a blessing that she was fairly healthy, and not only because it was just usual thing to be thankful for, but because it also meant she managed to avoid suffering through one thing.

 

Needles.

 

She’d heard it all before.

 

“Oh, Emily, it’s irrational,” or “ _ But Em _ , they’re are necessary for medical science, don’t be such a child, blah, blah…”

 

Funny enough though, having someone tell you you shouldn’t have a fear of something, typically did jack shit except make you feel guilty and even more anxious.

 

Vaccinations were pretty tough on poor old pop back in the day.

 

Emily really hoped that, before they decided to start the grim process of hooking her up to some kind of tube, that she could at least have some pills to calm her nerves.

 

“What do you mean I can’t have pills?”

 

“Both of the drugs can have an effect on your mental and/or emotional state.” Alphys explained to her as she held up a clear drip bag of transparent fluid and attached it to a metal pole next to the bed. “It just doesn’t seem very smart to be mixing them…”

 

“But-”

 

“No buts, and no mixing drugs.” Gaster cut in. “After an hour or so of being on this, your pain should be greatly reduced anyways.”

 

“I’m not worried about the pain. Why couldn’t you just do this while I was asleep?” Emily grumbled, watching from the corner of her eye as he opened little white bags of sterile equipment. Her heart did a little jump when she spotted the slender blue container that protected the needle.

 

“We need to be able to gauge your reaction.” Alphys piped up. “You know, j-just to see how you react.”

 

“It’ll all be over very soon.” He assured her.

 

“Wooow, really great choice of words there E.T.. Definitely doesn’t have an morbid ring to it.” Emily swallowed nervously. 

 

Alphys continued to fiddle with the bag as she gave Emily a sympathetic look.

 

“What he means is it’ll be over before you know it.” She frowned. “Um, wait, actually that kinda just sounds the same.”

 

Emily was hoping to just take a deep reassuring breath after hearing this.

 

But one deep reassuring breath turned into many deep reassuring breaths, and Emily wonders  _ how many _ “deep reassuring breaths” it took before it’s considered hyperventilating.

 

“Um. Em. A-are you okay…?” Alphys’ movements began to slow as she watched the sight unravel before her. 

 

Alphys thought briefly if this is what she herself usually looked like to other people.

 

“Miss Stella, believe me when I say-” Gaster approached her and held up his hands as he attempted to calm her.

 

He sighed as internally as possible and dropped his hands to his side when he noticed she was staring at the needle in his hand with the same look that Alphys usually got, whenever she found out Undyne was showing up unexpectedly with only a few minutes to prepare.

 

“What we are going to give you is not lethal in any way. And afterwards you will start feeling much better, which should benefit your mood as well. Not eating or being active is bound to throw you into a depression.”

 

“I know, I just- ...I’m about to let complete strangers pump a foreign substance into my blood with a sharp object. I think I have a right to a little nervousness.”

 

“You did agree to this.” He reminded her. “But if it’s really that distressing we can go back to the original plan. I’m sure five to six weeks could go by very quickly-”

 

“No. Nope. I’m doing this, right now.” Emily asserted, taking her final “deep reassuring breath” and steadying her voice.

 

Gaster ignored the disapproving look Alphys shot him when Emily fell for the obvious manipulation. 

 

“Right now.” He said doubtfully in a flat voice. It sounded more like a prompting question.

 

“Yep, right now. Let’s go. Lay it on me.” She assured him with fake conviction.

 

“Well…” Alphys added reluctantly to the charade. “The bags ready, we just need to run the fluids and then administer the drug.” Maybe fake confidence  _ was _ the key after all.

 

“Neat, alright.” Emily responded quickly with her best enthusiasm and held out her arm. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously when Gaster took her wrist with a small smirk.

 

He found the attempt to steel her nerves very forced and very... amusing. He had to admit to himself though, he didn’t think the procedure would go quite that smoothly. In fact, he was pretty sure he would probably wind up spending all day convincing her to go through with it. He tied a rubber strip on her arm as a tourniquet to make the vein more accessible before continuing.

 

“Now what I’m about to do,” He started as he sat down and tore open a small cleansing sanitizer wipe and quickly applied it over the skin in the crook of her inner elbow. The sharp alcohol smell made her feel even more on edge, and she tried her hardest not to focus on it. “-Is insert a needle into one of your veins. Then, a thin strip of plastic will be pushed into it that will allow easy access in the future.

 

“Uh, okay, that all sounds very nice and interesting but, remind me again why we are describing this in vivid detail.” Emily asked, uneasiness seeping back into her voice.

 

“I figured you would want to be informed. Would you rather I not explain the process?”

 

“...Yeah, uh, I think I’ll just try to ignore all that…  _ Soooo, _ I’m just gonna stare at the wall, you just do your thing.”

 

“Very well.”

 

Emily did try _ very hard _ to do what she had promised, but the second her eyes looked away they just dragged back down to the needle without permission. She made a million assurances to herself over the next few short seconds, but the moment he leaned in, her mind went into auto pilot.

 

“ALRIGHT, okay, wait, wait- Wait up.” She burst out suddenly and yanked her arm back into her middle.

 

Gaster looked up suspiciously and pulled back.

 

“What?”

 

“I… uh, I wasn’t ready.”

 

“Oh. I thought you said you were ready.”

 

“I am, I uh, was just hoping you would ask if I was ready before you did it.” Emily wavered and offered the arm back.

 

Suspicion still lingered on his face, but he took took her wrist and reminded himself that if he didn’t need her getting scared off of the treatment he would have to be patient.

 

“Alright.” He said and positioned the needle once again over her skin. “Are you-?”

 

Gaster barely even got a sentence out before Emily suddenly jerked back again.

 

“Wait a sec.” 

 

He sighed externally this time and propped an elbow onto the bed and rested the side of his head into his hand tiredly. Alphys watched awkwardly from behind, not really sure what to say to her convince her that it’s easier just to get it over with.

 

“Miss Stella, is there an actual legitimate reason that you're stalling,  _ besides _ the fact that you are not ready _. _ ” Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. He was obviously a naive fool for thinking so.

 

“Yes, I do.”

 

“And what’s that.” He asked expectantly.

 

“I just wanted to know... if… it’s clean.” She responded.

 

“Yes. It’s sterile. Never even opened.”

 

“... _ You’re sure _ ?” She said in an overly doubtful voice.

 

“Miss Stella, you slept on a bathroom floor last night.”

 

“Yeah,” Alphys finally added. “...that is kinda true…” 

 

Gaster raised his brow in an almost kind of, “see, even she agrees,” look.

 

Emily silently gave up her arm in defeat and Gaster took it once again. 

 

“Alright... Are you ready?”

 

“Yeah, whew...” she took a breath. “Okay, I’m ready. For real.”

 

Gaster nodded but barely even broke the skin before Emily suddenly pulled back again.

 

“ _ Really _ human, I hardly even touched you that time.” Gaster growled and Alphys had to stifle a laugh. Sure it seemed annoying, but from an outside perspective it was pretty funny. The only people that managed to ruffle Gasters feathers were usually Sans, and lazy coworkers with potential.

 

And on a good day Sans could be both of those things.

 

“Hey, don’t human me, I don’t call you by your species' title.” Emily accused him.

 

“Honestly I would prefer  _ that,  _ over _ “E.T.” _ ...Why even choose that? What does that even mean?” Gaster waved an agitated hand into the air and crinkled his nose into an annoyed expression.  

 

Alphys instantly recognized that as the gesture he usually did when he was ranting about something he’d probably already been dwelling on for a long while.

 

“You know, like extra terrestrial.” She responded with a casual shrug.

 

“But I’m not extra terrestrial. I was born on Earth. It’s the planet I inhabit and  _ am native to _ .”

 

Emily opened her mouth to retort to this but closed it with a small frown.

 

It was a pretty compelling argument. 

 

She shifted her gaze awkwardly from one monster to the other as they waited for her response. Even Alphys was keen to hear it. 

 

Emily scratched the side of her cheek almost awkwardly.

 

“Is it rude to say-... you kind of  _ look _ like an alien…?”

 

She was met with blank stares and Gaster shook his head and sighed.

 

“You are deliberately stalling now. Are you ready or not, because if not, there are other things I could be doing-”

 

“Okay! Fine, sheesh, touchy... Here.” She threw her arm out and gave a final defeated breath. 

 

“Thank you. Now, are you  _ actually _ ready this time?”

 

“Uh-huh.” She answered dully.

 

He positioned the needle once again and started to press in into the vein when, in no shocking turn of events, Emily gave a small yelp. He gripped her wrist tightly before she had the chance to pull away.

 

“Wait, that actually might have hurt, what was that?”

 

“It’s a  _ needle _ , Miss Stella, it’s going to sting.” He seethed. 

 

His voice was straining to remain patient, but Emily could definitely hear a bitch fit just waiting to break out.

 

“Emily, it’s a lot easier if you just try to get it over. Like a band aid I guess.” Alphys finally suggested.

 

“I need a warning first.”

 

“I asked you if you were ready!” He objected, his patience stretching thin with every single outburst she made.

 

“Yeah, but you're supposed to give me an actual warning. Like, on go, or a count to three.”

 

“ _ Fine. _ ” He grumbled through his teeth. “Are you ready?”

 

“Yes. For the tenth time”

 

“Excellent.” An unpleasant smile formed on his face and Emily suddenly felt very regretful. “On three then.”

 

“Fine.” She snapped back.

 

Alphys saw it coming a million miles away.

 

“One-”

 

He suddenly inserted the needle.

 

“Hey!” Emily shouted but wasn’t able to pull away on account of him pinning her arm down now. 

 

“Aw, Gaster that was mean.” Alphys pointed out as Emily hissed and went to grab his hand.

 

“Ah, ah, I still have to pull the needle out and insert the tube, and if you move before I’m able tape it down, the catheter may come out of the vein. And what does that mean Alphys?” He chided with the smallest amount of glee.

 

“He’ll, uh, have to do it again…” Alphys paused and then muttered under her breath. “Why couldn’t you just do it on three…”

 

“It wouldn’t have been as funny.”

 

Alphys scoffed and fiddled with her glasses.

 

“I think Sans is starting to rub off on you.” She muttered.

 

“That…” Emily started dimly, staring down at her arm. “...actually wasn’t so bad.”

 

“...Oh, wow...” Alphys marveled and adjusted her glasses back in place. “I thought for sure she would be furious.”

 

“Hmm. Me too.” Gaster agreed. “If I had known it would be _ that  _ painless, I would have done that ten minutes ago.”

 

“That was  _ literally nothing _ .” Emily sat in awe, still staring down at her arm as if it were actually supposed to fall off.

 

“Could she be in shock?” Alphys said in a slightly hushed voice.

 

“She seems alert.”

 

“I’m not in shock. It was just a little… underwhelming, is all... And why are you guys whispering when I’m literally right next to you.”

 

“Well you do kinda have two broken ribs and deep c-cuts. What used to be a big deal just might... not be that big a deal anymore.” Alphys claimed.

 

“And,” Gaster added. “While Alphys was distracting you I finished inserting and taping it down. Done.”

 

“Oh. Wow… Uh, now what.” Emily marveled, a feeling of strangeness washing over her.

 

Alphys was right about making a big deal out of it. A few minutes ago, she might as well have been back at the hospital at seven years old, getting busted for trying to bite the nurses for even attempting to do what they just did. Now it was just… easy.

 

Had really so much changed in such a short time?

 

Emily thought it was the world that was different, but there were a few changes she was noticing in herself as of late. It was odd to feel like a stranger in your own skin.

 

“This one here,” Alphys said and held up an intimidatingly large syringe, “Contains the a-actual drug. Twice a day we’ll push the medicine into your IV, and the drip bag will also k-keep you hydrated and provide some nutrients. The effects should be pretty quick.”   
  


Emily noticed as Alphys began to insert the syringe into the tube that she was hooked up pretty tightly to this drip bag Alphys spoke of.

 

“This is a pretty short leash you guys got for me.” 

 

“Which is why you should try to move as little as possible. You’ll be able to bring the bag with you somewhere if you must, but we would prefer if you stayed in bed and out of trouble.” He informed her. He turned his back to them and walked over to a trash bin, shedding the gloves and replacing them with his usual pair before turning back.

 

“Aaand... what kind of trouble would that be? I’m supposed to stay in here? What if I get bored?”

 

“Then we’ll bring you a crossword.” He spoke sarcastically.

 

“Great.” Emily declared and laughed. “I hate crosswords…”

 

“Then perhaps a coloring book?” He spoke cynically.

 

“Har, har, laugh it up...Uh, Actually that would be pretty neat.”

 

“You don’t say.” He spoke with a funny smirk. Alphys couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

 

“Sheesh, it’s cold.” Emily shivered and rubbed her arms roughly. “Do you guys run the air conditioner like 24/7 or something? Living underground has got to be cold enough as it is. But it must actually be pretty nice, what with the no weather thing. No rain sounds pretty cool. I hate the rain. Say, how's the rent down here? Affordable?”

 

Gaster hesitated and gave her an odd look and then slowly walked back over, his hands casually resting in his pockets.

 

“I suppose so… How are you feeling Miss Stella?”

 

“Feeling? Fine.” She claimed. “Totally fine. No wait, actually, my cheeks hurt. Why do my cheeks hurt?”

 

“Because you’ve been smiling non stop for the past two minutes.” He spoke humorously.

 

“Uh...Yea, and it’s kinda creepy actually.” Alphys added and cleared her throat nervously.

 

“I have?” Emily brought her fingers up to feel her cheeks and surprisingly it was true. “Oh... I take it back I don’t want to live here, I forgot I have a job, actually. And a house. And all of my friends live above ground actually. And I have a cat. Did I tell you I have a cat?” She directed this question to Alphys. She seemed like the type of person to Emily who would like cats.

 

Alphys looked anxiously to Gaster.

 

“I… Didn’t know that. C-congratulations?”

 

“Well, it must be starting to take effect…” Gaster pondered out loud as he leaned over to take her pulse. Emily eyed the tubing in her arm and she pulled her arm back from his grasp, raising it to eye level to get a closer look.

 

“Say, what if I just randomly ripped this out? Would it bleed? Could I die? I could do that.” She marveled as she stared at it as if it were some kind of enigma. “I could just do that right now, there's nothing stopping me. God that’s weird. Is there a word for that?”

 

“Intrusive thoughts.” Gaster informed her and gently took the arm and lowered it back down, hoping she would get the gesture. “And I would appreciate it if you would not do that.”

 

A merry ringtone suddenly filled the air and Gaster paused to retrieve a phone from his pocket and checked the ID. 

 

“You ever hear that song, house of the mountain king… or something along those lines? You should make that your ringtone instead. I think it suits your personality more. You know, ‘cause you’re a little creepy… No offense.”

 

“Thank you Miss Stella,” He said and shut the phone, dropping it back into his pocket. “I’ll take that into consideration.”

 

“No problem.” She spoke with a genuine smile, as if she were honestly proud of the great advice she had given.

 

“Oh, god, please don’t tell me you’re actually taking that call.” Alphys objected desperately when Gaster made a beeline for the door.

 

“It seems our coworkers are going to riot if I don’t come up with some kind of excuse as to why I’m putting most of my attention into our little “project.”

 

“Is he talking about me?” Emily leaned in close to Alphys and whispered in a not so very subtly hushed voice.

 

“We do plenty of projects that they don’t know about! Why do they care about this one?” Alphys argued and stepped away from Emily just a bit, a little disturbed by her sudden carefree, and intrusive personality.

 

“Yes, well this one doesn’t have rumors of a  _ human _ circulating around it.”

 

“Ah! I knew it. That’s me!” Emily whispered loudly and winked at Alphys as if she had just blown the lid on a huge mind boggling case.

 

“C’mon, l-lets just get Asgore to tell them to focus on their work and let us do ours! You can’t leave now, I-I mean look at her!” Alphys motioned desperately, miffed by the fact that he continued to inch out the door a little more every second. 

 

“Yeah!” Emily joined her and threw her hands into the air. “What’s the big idea?”

 

Emily wasn’t sure what was going on at the moment, but Alphys seemed upset, so, she was too now. Whatever Alphys was offended by, she was sure it was justified if it involved Gaster.

 

“Miss Stella, you don’t even know what we are talking about.” He said to her and then looked back to Alphys. “And she is fine Alphys, just drugged. In fact, she’s harmless. If she starts to suggest murder or anything of the sort, just calmly insist against it. She seems to be highly influenced by suggestion at the moment.” 

 

Before Alphys could object again he slipped out the door.

 

“Yeah, you better run!” Emily shouted and then threw Alphys a thumbs up. 

 

Alphys groaned and rubbed her cheeks irritably. She really didn’t want to be doing this part alone. Reluctantly she approached Emily again, placing her hands flat down on the bed.

 

“So, Em, how are you-”

 

“Say,” Emily spoke up suddenly and Alphys eyed her warily as she prepared herself for whatever she was about to say. “So, like, how come you're able to live down here. It’s cold. Don’t lizards need like... heat lamps?”

 

“Uh, heat lamps?”

“Yeah, ya’know, ‘cause of the whole body temperature thing. Do you need a heat lamp? Cause you’ve been super nice and supportive, and if you need one, I can buy you one.”

 

“Um, no…” Alphys said awkwardly as she stood frozen on the spot. “Th-that's alright. I’m not a-actually a lizard, so I don’t really need that.”

 

Emily’s gaped at her as if she has just spilled the beans on some personal secret. She then nodded generously and gave her an understanding look.

 

“It’s alright, I understand.” She said and placed a hand over Alphys’ hand compassionately _._ “It’s not for everyone. What else haven’t you told me? You can tell me anything. _Anything_.”

 

Alphys froze up and felt a blush form embarrassingly on her face as Emily suddenly giggled patted her other hand against her cheek gently. Alphys took her hand and put it back down, sighing bitterly as she realized the next few hours may be very awkward.

 

“Uh, please don’t do that.” She stuttered and Emily made a loud “pfft” sound and then suddenly sat back bunched the covers up, preparing to wrap herself up in them. Alphys had to dive twice to save the IV from being tugged too harshly before she finally sat bundled up in the blanket with a content smile on her face.

 

“So.” Emily mused. “What do you think about aliens? Real? I mean, considering the immense size of the universe, this is an obvious conclusion, but what about intelligent life? Why does the universe seem so… dead? It actually feels very lonely sometimes. What happened to everyone? ...Do you think we’re... next?”

 

“Um. That’s very morbid. I’m sure everyone's just… busy?”

 

“...Ah.” She cooed in agreement. “Yeah that makes sense.”

 

Thankfully Emily knocked dead out within the first hour. It was actually pretty worrying at first, but after a long non-stop conversation about what type of chocolate they would both be based on their personalities, she supposed it wasn’t too crazy for her to be tired by now. 

 

Gaster dropped by not too long after that to check her vitals and give her an update about their nosy coworkers.

 

As it turns out, Gaster is still very good at being intimidating. She took that as a blessing this time. Apparently the last thing the King wanted was the entire Underground finding out about their little secret. At least, not until later anyways.

 

But hiding a human was proving to be difficult as more and more people wondered about what was suddenly taking up the attention and resources of two of the most brilliant minds in the Underground. And now the apparent circulating rumors were making it even more difficult.

 

Alphys’ money was on one of the guards letting the dog out of the bag.

 

When Emily woke up again her mind felt kind of foggy, but she did feel a lot better. Apparently she had slept for about five hours, which actually was a surprise.

 

“Sheesh, don’t you guys ever sleep.” She mumbled as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Gaster and Alphys were both present, which actually  _ wasn’t _ as big as a surprise.

 

“I’m starting to wonder the same thing.” Alphys said suspiciously and gave Gaster a watchful look. 

 

Emily got the feeling something personal was happening.

 

“Yeah, I’m not gonna ask about whatever that was.” She decided out loud and watched sourly as Alphys brought over a bowl of soup and some crackers.

 

“You seemed very fond of questions earlier.”

 

She knew by the amused look on his face exactly what he was talking about.

 

“Let’s not speak of that, please. Ever.” She urged and took a spoonful of what tasted like chicken and vegetable soup. She wishes that she could have woken up and not remembered a thing, but sadly she could recall every weird outburst in high definition detail. “Is that gonna happen every time? Because if so, the embarrassment alone will kill me. And it’s only a matter of time before I say something scandalous, and when that happens, I’ll walk out the door myself.”

 

“You should build a tolerance to it the more you take it.” Alphys assured her. “Just, uh, t-try to eat.”

 

Emily nodded tiredly. 

 

“So whats up.” She asked in a hollow voice.

 

“I’m going to run some tests on a sample of your blood I pulled when you were sleeping, and compare it to some older results.” 

 

“Uh, yeah, don’t do that anymore.” Emily ordered dully and took another bite. He nodded as he retrieved some papers from a printer, not seeming to care much that she disagreed with his actions. Emily watched curiously as Gaster left once again and Alphys huffed and sat at her monitor with a frown.

 

“Wow. Yikes.” Emily marveled at the tense atmosphere, glad that she wasn’t actually involved in the drama for once. “Are you guys fighting?”

 

“What?” Alphys asked and then shook her head so fast her glasses went crooked. “Uh, no, he’s just not being very… cooperative.” She explained oddly and then straightened her glasses.

 

“Ah... _ Okay _ .” Emily said and eyed her with a sudden devious smile. “So are you two like…?”

 

“Huh?” Alphys stared as she tried to understand what Emily was implying until it suddenly hit her. 

 

“ _ NO _ ! Oh  **_god_ ** no, no it’s not like- why would you think that? Please t-tell me you’re still loopy.” Alphys worried she was somehow giving off some kind of vibe that made it look like she was interested.

 

“Sheesh, alright calm down.” Emily retorted with a laugh. She sure got flustered easily. “As far as I’ve seen, you two are the only ones that even exist down here, that’s all. Plus you practically finish eachothers sentences. It’s not that crazy.”

 

Alphys groaned and threw her face into her hands.

 

“It’s not- he’s practically my  _ boss _ . Well, he used to be anyways, but sometimes he still kinda a-acts like it. Which I guess is fine since he knows how to handle things better than I could anyways.” Alphys sighed and tried to think of a way to explain. “We aren’t fighting. We just have a lot of… responsibilities. And I just want t-to make sure he’s still able to do them.” 

 

Emily frowned. She notices Alphys has a habit of putting herself down, but she decides against trying to instill any confidence in her. That's what good friends are for. And she was pretty sure they weren’t really besties. In fact, as much as it made her feel like an unappreciative ass, it wouldn’t be so bad if she never saw her again after escaping out of this hole.

 

“You seem… worried?” Emily settled on.

 

“I just... wish he would take his own advice sometimes.” Alphys admitted, clicking her claws guiltily in her lap.

 

“Alright, well, go ahead.” Emily motioned to the door with her spoon and then taking another bite, as if the conversation was done.

 

“Wh-what?”

 

“Go chew him out.”

 

“I’m not gonna… I don’t think I should leave you-”

 

“I’m fine. A little solitude would actually be nice, no offense.”

 

“Oh…” Alphys hesitated. “Alright then. You're sure…?” She asked as she made for the door, looking back worriedly.

 

“Yeah, yeah, go kick his ass.” Emily muttered as she toyed with a carrot.

 

“I’m not going to do that! I’m just going to have a c-calm civil discussion.” She informed her and shut the door softly.

 

Alphys caught up to him in the hall and padded up alongside of him, looking up anxiously and trying and determine his mood.

 

“Alphys, is there something you need?” he asked curiously, but continued to study the old lab results in his hands. 

 

“Um, she wanted to be alone while she ate, so I wanted to a-ask about the bloodwork.”

 

“As soon as I run this new test, I’ll have better results to compare it to.”

 

“Hmm, aha,  _ interesting _ .” She drug the last word out in a painfully long way and Gaster gave her an inquisitive look.

 

“Is something bothering you, Alphys?”

 

“Oh, uh, no not really, just… Remember that thing I said to you earlier, about g-getting rest?”

 

“I am still fit to work.”

 

“I haven’t seen you use that weird magic hand trick in a while…”

 

“Would you believe me if I said I’m turning over a new leaf?” He shrugged as they walked and Alphys watched him doubtfully. “Magic only encourages laziness. Why use magic when you can simply walk across the room and get it yourself?”

 

“Uh… That sounds very made up.”

 

“I assure you it’s not. I appreciate the concern, but you are not my keeper. And I’m capable of looking after myself.”

 

Alphys’ mouth twisted in irritation and she stopped walking. Gaster paid it no mind and continued on, figuring she had given up.

 

“I’m afraid you leave me no choice then…” She spoke regretfully and reached into her pocket.

 

Gaster stopped and he looked over his shoulder cautiously. Her face was tilted down and her eyes were hidden by a conniving gleam over her glasses.

 

“Alphys…” He warned.

 

“I don’t know about you Gaster, but I’m not really c-cut out for the babysitting business. So maybe I should call your  _ actual  _ keeper?” Alphys spoke more confidently now and brought her hand out of her pocket to reveal her cell phone.

 

Gaster froze.

 

“You wouldn’t dare.”

 

“Wouldn’t I?” She dared and flipped it open in a threatening flick.

 

“He’s not due to be here until next week.” He challenged. Surely that would appeal to her better nature.

 

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind dropping in for a visit. Who knows? Maybe humans love a good pun or twenty.” She went to press a button on the phone when it was suddenly wrenched from her grasp and shot up into the air.

 

“Hey!” She shouted and grasped for the phone that was now being held into the air by a third hand, far above her reach. 

 

“The last thing I need right now is him grinning over my shoulder while I try to work.” Gaster smiled and walked back towards her calmly, his hands now smugly clasped confidently behind his back. 

 

“No fair!” Alphys argued angrily and made a weak attempt to jump for it.

 

“I have a better idea.” Gaster spoke, suddenly donning a more gleeful nefarious tone. “How about we call a certain fish instead? I’m sure she’s wondering what her good friend is up to as well.”

 

Alphys gasped and her face went from annoyed to horrified.

 

“You wouldn’t dare.” Alphys warned.

 

“Wouldn’t I?” He responded mockingly, mimicking her previous threat. “Or perhaps a text would be more casual.”

 

The papers in his hands were passed to another set of transparent like hands, and the hands proceeded to straighten and organize them as the phone hovered over to his side, forever lost from her grasp.

 

“Hmmm, lets see here....” He thought aloud, crossing his arms and tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Aha!”

 

Another hand appeared over the phone and the fingers began to tap away at the keys.

 

“My dearest Undyne-”

 

“ **OH GOD** , Alright! Okay, you win! Don’t you DARE!” Alphys gave in and threw her hands up desperately in defeat.

 

“See? I knew you would see things my way.” He said cheerfully as if they had civilly settled the argument with an agreement, rather than a brutal hostage situation. 

 

The phone hovered back over to her and the extra hands vanished, dropping the phone safely back into her hands. Alphys let out breath of relief and narrowed her eyes warily, holding the phone close to her chest as if she were ready to fight if he tried to pull that stunt again.

 

“That was low Gaster, even for you.” She sulked and then finally sighed, looking down at the phone in her hand. There was no embarrassing message.

 

Only three smiley faces were typed into the textbox, and her face fell flat when she saw his handiwork. Apparently there never really was any danger.  

 

Defeat was a bitter thing.

 

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ll be in the processing lab if you need anything.” He informed her with a pleased smile and turned away. “Let me know if you need anything!” He called back over his shoulder.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Alphys mumbled and sighed again. 

 

Mission failure.

 

Alphys returned to the room the human was staying in and found that she was once again asleep. It was pretty common knowledge among any monster who studied humans that they required a certain amount of sleep, but even Emily was taking this a little too far. 

 

She wondered if it was on purpose, and if humans were able to fall asleep on command. It was certainly understandable if Emily wanted to escape whenever she could.

 

Alphys was happy to see that she had finished her food, however. It was a nice change.

 

She decided to use the down time to plug into her computer and watch some cartoons. 

 

Alphys wasn’t really the vengeful type, but in her mind she was already considering indulging in one of her friends favorite pastimes, hopefully with the help of a certain trickster skeleton. 

 

Maybe a good prank was long overdue anyways? But sadly, in the meantime, there was important work to be done.

 

The next two days went by much too slowly.

 

Gaster informed Emily that she was healing incredibly fast. Apparently so fast that within the next few days he would have to remove the stitches. The idiotic high that she got as a side effect wasn’t that hard to manage, as long as she didn’t talk to anyone. Or look at anyone for that matter. This led to her being concerningly quiet.

 

He mentioned that if she kept healing at this rate she may leave to see the king even earlier than he previously thought. He seemed very impressed at the time with the recovery process. 

 

But Emily didn’t really see it.

 

Sure it was easier to get out of bed. Sure she could breathe now without thinking her lungs were going to collapse. And yeah, even her arm was feeling a little less painful.

 

But she still felt hollow.

 

It was as if someone had cut her open and taken out all of the things that made joy or happiness work. She just felt… bored.

 

So she decided to do something about it. 

 

First she pulled out the IV. Not as painful as she thought it would be. Or maybe it was, she wasn’t too sure. She went into the bathroom and ran the shower, something she’d been looking forward to whenever she was finally able to stand without feeling like she was going to fall over. 

But even that was something she wasn’t able to enjoy. Everything was too numb. The hot water that ran down her back and turned her skin red, might as well have been cold. The thought that someone could take something so simple from her was the only thing that prompted emotion.

 

And anger was really the only feeling that she lived and breathed as of late anyways. 

 

She sat in the bathroom for a  _ very _ long time, running a towel through her hair for an eternity, just staring into the mirror until it was dry. She looked over at the t-shirt and black sweatpants and exhaled.

 

_ “Welp, boredom ain't gonna cure itself…” _

 

And it was probably smart to get going before one of them dropped by check on her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in question  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLp_Hh6DKWc
> 
> This song is oddly fitting for Undertale, don't you think? Even the title!


	13. Second Rate Ninja

Before leaving the bathroom, Emily noticed in the mirror that the bruises that had covered her face and neck had faded _significantly_. She was even starting to recognize herself in the mirror again, which was lot harder than it honestly should have been. She approached a lab coat hanging over a chair near the door and shrugged it on. It had been lying there from the very first day she had arrived, so she figures no one would miss it.

 

It’s a little baggy, and her arm certainly looks awkward with the cast underneath the sleeve, but it would have to do. The air felt chilly but she wasn’t very fond of the idea of walking about with a huge blanket draped around her. She placed a hand over the door knob and tensed.

 

This was as far as the plan went. The rest is kind of up in the air from here on out. It didn’t really matter though.

 

She was tired already of lying around, tired of doing nothing but crying and forcing down food, and she was tired of the constant boredom strange looks. She tried not to think about what she might find outside her door as she turned the knob, and decided that going with the flow was really her best option.

 

Emily took a breath and steadied herself, standing up straighter to appear more confident as she pulled open the door. She was met with very strange sight.

 

They’d mentioned a guard dog outside the door, but she wasn’t expecting a literal dog.

 

It was rather large and standing upright against the opposite wall, which was somehow not as odd as the fact that it’s wearing shiny metal armor. It seemed to be stiffly standing at attention and staring straight ahead at nothing. Tan and white fur stuck out in a fuzzy messy fashion from it’s head, paws, and feet, and the way it looked reminded her a lot of a husky breed. She stilled when the door creaked and the canine suddenly snapped its head towards her. He watched her suspiciously, and Emily reminded herself of the plan, hoping the monster would allow her to at least take a walk.

 

_‘Remember, just go with the flow.’_

 

 _“_ What’s up?” She asked coolly, leaning against the door frame and shoving her hands in her pockets. She noticed there was a smooth slip of plastic at the bottom of one, but she ignored it in light of recent confrontations.

 

The dog’s brown eyes suddenly went wide and it seemed startled for a moment, looking frantically from side to side, as if it were impossible that she could possibly be addressing him.

 

“Are… Are you speaking to _me_?” He asked with a stunned expression.

 

Emily figured she should have expected him to talk, but it was still a little unsettling.

 

Especially since his voice was definitely _way_ deeper than she thought it would be. Batman had nothing on this guy. She cleared her throat and reminded herself that she was on a mission... So to speak.

 

“Uh, yeah, who else would I be talking to?”

 

The dog looked around again, finally convinced that, yes- she was in fact, talking to him.

 

“I am fine, Ma’am… And you?”

 

Emily was beginning to feel very awkward with this casual conversation.

 

“Uh, all’s good... So what's your name?”

 

“Vallis, Ma’am.”

 

“Uh _huuuuh_ …” Emily drawled and tapped her hand in her pocket impatiently as she busied herself with examining the fresh new hallway she’d walked into. So far he didn’t seem like much of a threat so she gave herself the liberty of being curious.

 

“Am I in trouble?” He asked suddenly, and Emily noticed his expression grew somber at the very notion of this.

 

“Trouble?” She asked strangely. “No. Why would you think that?”

 

“I-… Just did not expect you to approach me.” The dog shifted restlessly and Emily finally spotted the large lethal looking spear he held at his side. She tried to ignore it.

 

“I just wanted to make a little conversation.” She spoke simply. It wasn’t a complete lie. “I’m bored. And you seem like an interesting guy... Or uh, dog.”

 

“Oh! Talk?” His tail suddenly began to wag back and forth rapidly and Emily noticed he was certainly very expressive, as most dogs were. “I am bored as well. Don’t tell my superiors I said that though.” He added with a hushed whisper.

 

“Ah, got it.” She nodded and made the committed gesture of zipping her lips shut.

 

She feels pleasantly surprised that things are going so smoothly. She’d expected him to try to rip her throat out, or at least something of that nature. Now, he just seemed... harmless.

 

“May I ask you a question?” He asked suddenly, still whispering as if their conversation was forbidden.

 

“Sure.”

 

“What is it like being near a human?”

 

Emily blinked and stared back at him as she processed this.

 

“...A human?”

 

“I know I am not supposed to talk, or ask questions, but I am very curious.”

 

He looked very guilty suddenly, as if he were doing something horrible. His tail stopped moving and fell flat, and his eyes looked very solemn. “But… If you can not say, I understand.”

 

Emily realized that he had absolutely no idea who she really was.

 

_‘Well that’s… Convenient.’_

 

“Uh… Well-” She decided in the to continue with the plan and _not_ tell him the truth.  “She’s, uh… nice.”

 

“Nice?” He urged her, apparently wanting to know more.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Has she tried to kill you?”

 

“What?” Emily stuttered. “N-no… She's pretty, uh alright? Mellow...?”

 

Describing someone that was you, when pretending it isn’t you, was proving harder than she thought it might be.

 

“Oh. That is not what I heard.” He spoke with a doubtful tone and then suddenly sneezed loudly, making her jump. The dog snorted and then promptly shook his head roughly from side to side, flecking a few drops of drool into the air. She wiped her cheek sourly with her sleeve. He certainly had the mannerisms of a dog, if not the charm.

 

“Oh really?” Emily tested. “And what _have_ you heard?”

 

“I heard that she might have killed ten monsters already. And that it took ten more just to take her down!” He seemed darkly excited by this rumor.

 

“W-what! Thats crazy talk! I have not-!” Emily cut herself off, but the monster didn’t seem to notice her slip up. He continued to wag his tail as he watched her, hungrily awaiting the juicy details.

 

“What I mean is, I haven't seen her do anything like that. She’s not like that at all.” She explained.

 

“Oh.” He spoke quietly and the tail wagging stopped for a moment as he considered this. He must have come to some sort of conclusion, because he seemed very pleased all of the sudden.

 

“That is much more preferable! I was worried when I was assigned this job that I may have to fight a human.” He paused and his voice suddenly went gravely dark. “I am much too young to die.”

 

Emily chuckled nervously due to the sudden dead serious tone when he mentioned his possible impending doom at her hands. And also at the fact that he did not sound young in any way, shape, or form.

 

“Uh, yeah. Right. That would be… not good.” She agreed.

 

“So what does the human look like? Is it large? I heard its very large.”

 

“Large? Who told you that?!” She raised her voice irritably and took a mental step backwards when the sudden shout caused him to appear very guilty, as if he had just been caught stealing food off the table. An idiotic understanding dawned on her. At first she’d thought the dog must have just been stupid for not recognizing her.

 

“Wait a second, they put you in charge of guarding a human, and they didn’t even tell you what she looked like?”

 

“We are not allowed any kind of interaction unless there is danger.”

 

“That’s… pretty stupid.” Emily marveled, even though it was actually working in her favor at the moment.

 

“Tell’ya what Val.” She spoke thoughtfully and tapped her chin dramatically.

 

“Vallis.” He intervened.

 

“I know. It’s a nickname.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“As I was saying Val, you seem like a pretty neat guy.”

 

“I am!” He agreed excitedly with the praise, and Emily wouldn’t be surprised if his tail suddenly detached and flew down the hall at this point since it was practically moving at light speed.

 

“I can see that. And obviously you’ve been working hard.”

 

“I have!”

 

“So when I get back, I promise you, you’re gonna get to see a real human. In the flesh.”

 

The guard looked like he might start bouncing around happily at any second. Emily thought it was actually a pretty amusing sight.

 

“Really!?”

 

“You bet!” Emily assured him and crossed her arms confidently. How he managed the self control to stay in one spot was a mystery at this point.

 

“Just stay here and uh, keep doing what you’re doing. Hold down the fort. Though, I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.” Emily gave a small wave and began her journey down the hall, having no idea where she was actually going.

 

“Do not worry!” He shouted. “I will be here for the next few days. What is your name by the way?”

 

She cringed from the loud outburst and turned and walked backwards for a few seconds to respond.

 

“You can call me Em!” She replied in a hushed whisper, hoping he would get the idea to stay quiet. He nodded instantly and turned his attention back to the door like a good guard dog.

 

She turned back happily and made her way down the corridor.

 

Meanwhile, three floors up, Gaster was sitting at his desk, a phone held up loosely in his hand as he jotted down notes in front of him.

 

“You sound weary.” Asgore expressed, and Gaster was not looking forward to where the conversation was going. “You know, I placed two people in charge of this task for a reason. Sleep is good for the soul my friend.”

 

“I’m aware.” Gaster spoke into the phone, absentmindedly clinking the pen against a coffee mug. “I know my limits. And Alphys has been invaluable to our efforts. She is very good at getting the human to cooperate.”

 

Asgore chuckled over the phone and Gaster dropped the pen and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

 

“So I’ve heard.” The King responded. “I can’t imagine anyone better to handle this than you two.”

 

“I’m glad you think that. Does this mean you trust me enough to tell her?” Gaster ventured. The other end went quiet for a few moments. A child's voice could suddenly be heard in the background, saying something about a very large stick they had apparently discovered. In a distant muffled voice, Asgore told the child that it was in fact a very impressive stick, and then suggested he go show his mother. After a few more moments he sighed and responded, his voice clearer now.

 

“It is not a matter of trust… Tell me Gaster, what did you expect when you found out you would be seeing a human for the first time.”

 

He didn’t really need to ask. Asgore knew him well enough to know the answer to this.

 

“I…” Gaster faltered, not entirely sure what he was getting at with this. He had already brought this issue to the King’s attention before, but Asgore still insisted on keeping secrets until he himself was able to confront the human. He tried not to take it personally, but there was still this voice in the back of his mind that told him the king doubted his abilities. “I suppose I expected danger.”

 

“And what do you think now?”

 

“I think she can be reasoned with. She doesn’t approve of being chained down, and she does appear to exhibit a tendency to anger, but I assume that’s not entirely unusual, considering what we now know.”

 

“You still do not trust her though.” Asgore stated plainly.

 

“...No. I don’t. But if anything happens, we are capable of dealing with it. I don’t see why we should continue to keep it from her. She is coherent now, and in the process of adjusting. And we have a controlled environment here, with guards, and sedatives if necessary.”

 

“You seem to feel very strongly about this.” Asgore mused.

 

“I feel it’s the right thing to do, given the circumstances. Handing her another reason not to trust us seems unwise.”

 

“Hmm. Perhaps. You do make a good point.” Asgore considered this with a thoughtful pause before replying.

 

“I may have already told you this before, but long ago I knew of many humans who sided with our people in the early days of the war. Most of them were sympathetic to our struggles. They spoke on my behalf and worked alongside me to ease the fears of their fellow men.”

 

Gaster listened quietly, curious as to what he was getting at with this sudden reflection.

 

“There was one man I remember fondly. He was the most vocal of these people, and a very good friend of mine. I’ve forgotten his name over the past centuries, but I still remember our conversations of the peace and acceptance that he preached.”

 

His voice suddenly became heavy with sadness.

 

“He disappeared abruptly one day, and I did not see him until a few years later, when he was leading an attack on the very monsters that he had befriended and claimed to love. I’d never imagined that a human… A _person,_ was capable of so much change in such a short amount of time.”

 

Gaster wasn’t sure what to say to this, so he remained quiet.

 

“Seeing him on the battlefield provided a moment of clarity. And _caution._ Humans can be kind. And they can be compassionate, and empathetic. But unlike us they are unable to feel the pain that they can inflict onto to others. They have never witnessed scars on any other soul but their own. And they are always changing and shifting with every new experience, sometimes for the worst. So please…” His somber tone suddenly lightened up as he came to the end of his speech. “Let me be the one to speak to her. I’m sure you are quite capable of doing it yourself, but the burden should be mine. And, I don’t mean any offense, but one of your biggest strengths is that you can be analytical and impartial. This situation calls for a much... different approach. I’ll speak with her, and determine whether or not she is truly a threat. And when I do, you will be the first to know.”

 

Gaster took in his words hesitantly and with a sigh he reluctantly gave in.

 

“Very well, your majesty. I will leave it up to you.” When the king had his mind set on something, he typically didn’t waver from it.

 

“Finally!” The king boomed with a hearty laugh. “I was beginning to think you would never stop asking!”

 

Gaster scoffed, but as bitter as the approaching situation was, for the moment he smiled along with him. It was quite contagious, after all.

 

“Now that that unpleasantness is over, Asriel found the strangest bug in my garden today. I’m pretty sure it is what’s known as a ‘Luna moth.’ We don’t get many of those down here. It must have flown a pretty long way.” He marveled. “Have you heard of it?”

 

“I can’t say I have.”

 

“Would you like me to describe it?”

 

Gaster sat back comfortably and propped his elbow onto the chairs armrest, resting his cheek in his hand and preparing himself for the next thirty or so minutes.

 

“If you insist.” He spoke with a weary smile.

 

Emily had been walking for quite awhile now. She found a vending machine that was much more modern than what she was expecting for a cult of underground monsters. She stared at the bright colors that illuminated the front of it for a long while.

 

The atmosphere of a dark hallway with a single colorfully illuminated vending machine was an eery one. It was if the very space around her was foreign and other worldly. Much like the feeling one got when they sat on a swing at an empty playground in the middle of the night. Or like the feeling one might get when they’re sitting at a vacant bus stop at four in the morning. A week ago, she wouldn’t have given the swirling vibrant colors even a second look.

 

Funny how near death experiences change a person's perspective.

 

The building felt largely empty and she wonders if it's late. Was there even a concept of night and day in the Underground?

 

_“All the more reason to find the exit I guess.”_

 

After a bit more walking she came across an elevator and glanced up at the yellow illuminated arrows on the wall. She tested a button and the door on the left instantly slid open. She was about to decide against it until she noticed that one of the arrows above her had been ticking on and off the entire time. The realization that someone was already on their way down hit her like a rock with a note that said “hey stupid,” attached to it.

 

The option either to run or take the lift weighed heavy in her mind for a few seconds. Even if she did take the elevator, traveling to another floor seemed like a good way to get lost, especially since every hall looked pretty much the same at every turn. There was a shrill ding sound and Emily realized she’d spent too much time trying to decide on what to do. She heard the elevator door open, but by that time she had already rushed into the other elevator and hit a random button, relieved when the door closed in front of her and she had seemingly gone unnoticed.

 

Gaster paused and glanced at the elevator door curiously after seeing the white flap of a lab coat just as he had stepped out. He wondered who could possibly be at the lab this late at night, and not to mention on _this_ floor, the one he was sure he had made temporarily off limits to all lower level employees.

 

Whoever they were, they seemed to be in rush.

 

Emily breathed and placed a hand on the wall and leaned into it reassuringly. As the walls around her whirred and shook, regret began starting to seep in.

 

_‘That was way too close.’_

 

She almost felt like she was breaking some kind of law by sneaking around. Was going for a “walk” really worth it? At this point it felt more like some kind of recon mission.

 

Much to her dismay the elevator came to a stop and the door chimed and opened shortly after this thought. She wouldn’t have minded spending a few more minutes or maybe hours just standing in her little safe place. Hesitantly, she peaked out into the hallway, which by no surprise looked almost exactly like the last. She glanced at the floor number before exiting, making a mental note that she had gone up three floors. Getting lost in this place wasn’t the most comforting thought.

 

Her plain slippers padded noisily as she walked down the quiet passage and she noticed a lot of the upper rooms weren’t actually locked. A few of them even had lights on, which initially made her nervous until she realized that this floor was just as barren as the one below it. Most of the rooms were neat and tidy and seemed to have a lot of typical lab equipment, some she recognized more than others. She almost expects to find a disemboweled body and red blood soaked walls in one of the eerily still spaces.

 

_‘Not helping Em...’_

 

She exhaled slowly to calm her nerves and kept walking, coming to a sort of crossroads. The left hall seemed very uninteresting. The right one however-... also seemed very uninteresting.

 

There was a light under one of the doors on the left however, so she took it as a sign to venture forth. She walked towards it and boredly tested the lock. Disappointingly, it didn’t give, and Emily sighed and took a step back.

 

As nice as it was to get out of bed, the place felt a bit repetitive. She figures it’s time to go back to the elevator and try to find the first floor and, in time, maybe an actual exit. She was about to turn and leave when her eye suddenly caught a narrow engraved plate on the wall next to the door.

 

_Dr. W. D. Gaster_

 

Emily froze and stared at the words, not daring to even breathe. The possibility that he was probably inside the very door she had voluntarily walked up to and tried to open seemed like a huge villainous coincidence.

 

She reasoned with herself that, then again, she _had_ looked into a lot rooms on the way up anyways, so maybe it wasn’t entirely out there that she happened to come across this.

 

Still, she thought that out of all the floors she could’ve landed on, she had to have the horrible luck off choosing this one. Alphys’ office would have been a much more preferable thing to stumble upon. She looked down at the light coming from underneath the door and raised a hand up to the wood, mentally weighing her options.

 

If he was in there, the worst case scenario was probably just being escorted back to her room and having her cover blown to the excitedly oblivious guard. If he wasn’t well… There were hardly any downsides to that. Just a locked door with no one inside, and no cover blown. _Not_ knocking on the door and backing away was obviously the best course of action.

 

So naturally she did the opposite.

 

The allure of an uncertain choice was just too exciting to ignore. There wasn’t really anything else that appealed at the moment, and she was going to get caught sooner or later anyways, right? Her curiosity was too strong, and Emily happened to possess the bad habit of enjoying a good risk or two. She always believed that the ability to take risks was a luxury boring people couldn’t afford.

 

However, that sort of thing hadn’t really been working out for her recently. She hopes it’s finally time that her luck starts to turn around.

 

The dull sounding knock was answered by a long silence and Emily exhaled and tried the knob again. With a frown she shoved her hands into her pockets and stared at the door in thought, wondering just what kind of thing shady doctors would hide away in this place. Her fingers brushed the strip of plastic again and she curiously grabbed at it and examined the mystery item.

 

It was a laminated business card for a pizza joint.

 

There was a strange but friendly looking blue bunny on it giving a thumbs up and wearing a shirt with a decorative pizza pie on it. The lame phrase, “ **It’s Pizza-licious!!!** ” was printed in bright yellow letters at the top.

 

She checked her other pocket but only found a couple of ketchup packets, a rubber band, and a folded slip of paper which had a messy drawing of some kind of circuitry on it. The words were messy, and electrical science wasn’t really her strong suit, so she didn’t bother trying to decipher it.

 

Emily got a very sinister idea when she suddenly remembered all of the times that she had stole herself into her father's locked room, trying to sneak an early peek at her Christmas presents.

 

Stuffing the paper and condiments back into her pocket, she ran her hands over the door and inspected the it, knocking again gently. The wood was dense, and the knob was brass and seemed old, so the trick just might work.

 

She positioned the card into the crevice between the door and the frame and pushed hard, hoping the deadbolt would fall back into the lock with enough pressure. After a few seconds of pushing and jiggling the metal gave and a loud metallic clack sounded throughout hall.

 

Thank god for obscure high quality business cards.

 

Emily listened for a few moments, hoping the loud sound hadn’t caught anyone's attention. Satisfied with the silence, she pushed the door open and looked around.

 

It was pretty much what she expected.

 

The room wasn’t exactly neat. The were papers, books, and overflowing folders and binders covering most every surface. A wooden desk stood on the right side of the room next to some metal file cabinets, and there were shelves on the walls that held thick books with slips of bright paper bookmarking many of the worn pages. There was a large black chalkboard on a stand that was covered with swirling waves of chalk residue, leading her to believe someone must have erased a lot of work recently. She could almost make out a few of the rubbed out numbers.

 

Another door to the right revealed a plain room with a neatly made bed and a nightstand next to it. She closed the door to the smaller room and curiously turned her attention to a long wooden table that ran against one of the walls. A coffee maker was one of the many things sitting atop of it, accompanied by a few decorative mugs and a bowl of transparently wrapped peppermint candies.

 

Emily walked over to one of the mugs and picked one up, examining it more closely. There were bright, crudely drawn flowers and smiley faces covering the white ceramic surface and Emily felt a bit astonished. They were obviously painted by a kid, but Emily hadn’t really pegged him as the fatherly type.

 

 _“Interesting.”_ She thought and set the mug down carefully, wincing when her foot caught the table leg. Every little sound she made in the motionless silence felt damning.

 

She suddenly felt very odd standing alone in what appeared to be something that was obviously locked for a reason. She briefly wonders if this is an intrusion of privacy, but the curious notes and charts on his desk quickly quelled any morals that she might have had at the moment.

 

Emily sat in his chair and spun it in a circle to test the chairs rotation.

 

Seats that could spin were definitely the best type of seats.

 

The desk was arranged in what could be described as a orderly mess. There was a monitor and a few odd knick knacks lying around it, along with many complicated looking notes that only made her more tempted. She didn’t bother messing with the computer, assuming that it was probably password protected.

 

Before taking a look at the scribbled equations and crumpled papers in front of her, she tested the heavy drawers of the desk. The bottom one was locked but the top one opened with little effort. She convinced herself that, no, it wasn’t wrongful snooping if the people keeping you seemed a little shady in the first place. She found a small paper box inside and peculiarly looked inside.

 

Peppermints.

 

“Nice.” She stated aloud.

 

The smell made her aware of the fact that she had in the past caught the scent of peppermint every now and then. She just had never associated it with him until now. The red and white candy swirls _did_ look very appealing. Appealing enough for her to consider the possible consequences of dying from poisoning as a result of trying one.

 

On one hand there was death.

 

On the other there was candy.

 

Emily sat back into the chair and popped one into her mouth, grabbing a paper full of inked scribbles and scanning over it.

The candy was a little too minty for her liking, but it still hit her tongue like a rush of sweetness and Emily knew in that moment that potential death was _so, so_ worth it. Sugar was definitely something she had taken for granted in the past. She vowed never again to be so unappreciative of such simple pleasures.

 

As she began to focus on the scrawled symbols, a sudden high pitched lively tune filled the air, making her jump with fright. She instantly recognized it as Gaster's ring tone and spotted the cell phone lying on the desk next to an old looking keyboard. She hastily scooped it up and tried to shut the annoying sound off.

 

A loud jolly booming voice was suddenly heard over the speaker and Emily grievously realized that she must have picked up the call in her scramble. She silently cursed whoever invented flip phones.

 

“Gaster! Guess what! We found another one! We put it in the box and now the other one has a buddy! I’m still trying to determine whether they are male or female though. Perhaps I could send you a picture? Though, I’m not entirely sure how to do that…”

 

Emily sat frozen, staring down at the phone in her hand. The man was so loud, she wouldn’t be surprised if he could be heard from every monster in the Underground.

 

“...Gaster? Are you there?”

 

“Uhhh…” She uttered.

 

Emily shut up instantly and couldn’t for the life of her determine why she even opened her damn mouth in the first place. This was Sneaking 101, for god's sake. Along with leaving ringing phones be.

 

“Hello? Who is this?”

 

Emily brought the phone up reluctantly to her ear and hesitated.

 

“Uh… He’s not… Here right now.”

 

She threw a hand up to her face and fought the urge to groan aloud at her own stupidity. There was no going back now. She was in too deep.

 

_‘Why did you answer it you turd! You were doing so good! ...Okay, okay, just remember the plan. Just go with the flow…”_

 

“Oh. Who is this? I can’t quite seem to place your voice.” He asked, and she hopes the suspicion in his voice is just in her head.

 

“Um.” Emily stopped talking for a moment so as to not stutter while she thought of an excuse. “I’m just one of the employees here. He sort of… left his phone here.”

 

“I see.” He considered and Emily couldn't help the skepticism she felt when he apparently bought her story with ease. “Do you have any idea where he is then?”

 

“Uh, nope. Haven't seen him.”

 

“Oh well. I was hoping he could help me with a problem. I suppose I’ll just have to wait until later.”

 

“Yep, well, goodbye-” Emily rushed and went to hang up.

 

“Since we are on the phone, perhaps we could have a chat!” He suddenly added cheerfully. “Tell me, what do you know of insects?”

 

Emily’s face soured as she reluctantly stayed on the line. As much as she wanted to, there was an odd resolve in his voice that made it almost impossible to hang up on him.

 

“Uh, I know a little I guess… But I’m actually a little busy right now so-”

 

“Really now! That’s great!”

 

Emily tapped her fingers anxiously on the desk. There was just no getting rid of this guy.

 

“My son and I found the strangest bugs today. I can’t though, for the life of me figure out what kind of insects they are. Perhaps you could identify them?”

 

Emily considers this for a moment and figures that if she solves this man's weird request, he just might hang up.

 

She was desperate enough to attempt it anyways. And saying no at this point just felt impossible.

 

“I’ll, uh, try.”

 

“Fantastic!” He announced, and Emily wondered how it was possible for someone who wasn’t Santa Claus to sound so damn jolly.

 

“So, uh… What do they look like?”

 

“Well, let’s see…” He spoke thoughtfully and Emily figured from the pause that he must be examining one. “They are fuzzy, and green, and rather large for a bug. And they’re quite elegantly shaped.”

 

“Do they have wings or…?”

 

“Yes, they do actually!” He proclaimed.

 

“Are there small brown dots on the wings?” She guessed. “And do the wings almost look like they have tails?”

 

“How did you know?”

 

“That sounds like a Luna moth.” Emily spoke quickly, hoping this was enough for him.

 

“A Luna moth you say? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Are they rare?” The voice contemplated.

 

“No, they’re pretty common, especially in the woods at night.”

 

“Hmm... That's quite clever of you. Although, that’s a strange thing for a monster to know, considering we don’t normally go for walks in the woods too often.” He remarked and Emily came to a standstill when she realized she’d forgotten that she was actually talking to a monster.

 

It was a difficult thing to remember when you weren't actually staring them in the face. He just sounded so human. She was about to defend herself when he suddenly spoke up again.

 

“But I’m sure that’s why you work in the labs!”

 

“Uh. Yeah…”

 

“Golly, you seem to know a lot about insects. My son loves to collect bugs. He makes these adorable little homes for them, with rugs and everything. It’s quite precious.”

 

“Uh-”

 

“In fact, he has a few more odd looking ones at the moment. Hmm… I’m not so sure where he put them this time, however…”

 

“That’s too bad. I-”

 

“-Well, while I’m searching, I can tell you all about him!” He interrupted.

 

Emily dropped her head down onto the table with a _thunk._

 

Meanwhile, three floors down, Gaster, Alphys, and a now deeply ashamed guard dog were desperately searching every room of the building. While Alphys locked down the main exits and went to check the security cameras, Gaster continued his hunt, his spirit growing more anxious with every empty room he searched. Not only did the human disappearing reflect badly on him, it also posed a potentially very dangerous threat.

 

Was it really so hard for her to just sit still?

 

Gaster threw open yet another door and came to a grim realization. If the human wasn’t found within the next thirty minutes, he would have no choice but to call the king and have him dispatch a search party. He jerked to a stop suddenly and patted both of his pockets, noticing with an impatient grunt that he had left his phone behind.

 

Luckily, he was already on his way up.

 

Meanwhile, Emily turned a small hourglass over in her hands for what felt like the millionth time, watching the white sand smoothly fall through the funnel.

 

“That’s just a garden spider.” She spoke boredly as the jubilant man described yet another creature. “They’re venomous and can bite, if they feel threatened enough.” She added, already expecting his usual round of questions.

 

“Oh, I’m not too worried, my son is very gentle with them. He quite literally would never hurt a fly.”

 

“I believe you.” She replied flatly and rubbed her eyes. Why this guy insisted on talking to a complete stranger she had no idea.

 

Didn’t he have better things to do?

 

She leaned back into the chair and propped her knees up onto the desk, hugging the box of peppermints in her lap and throwing another into her mouth as he rambled on yet again about his son and how good he was with bugs and other small creatures. Sadly, her peppermint supply had dwindled significantly since the phone first rang.

 

She raised her hand to eat another one when the door suddenly swung open, making her freeze on the spot. Gaster also came to an instant halt and stared back at her in shock as she slowly ate the last candy and gradually stood up, seemingly uninterested in the stunned expression on his face that was slowly turning to anger.

 

“Do you have _any_ idea-!?”

 

Emily couldn’t care less what he had to say at the moment, nor did she care about the daggers he was staring into her.

 

Only one thing mattered right now.

 

 _“Please-”_ She cut him off with a shrill desperate whisper, covering the phones receiver with her hand. _“Take. This phone. Away._ **_Now._ ** _”_

 

Before he had the chance to even question what madness she was suggesting now, she held up a finger to silence him and leaned back into the phone, determined to end her suffering.

 

“Wow, look at that! Gaster’s back! I’ll just go ahead and give the phone back to him now. Goodbye!”

 

“Really?” He chirped. “Gosh, that’s a relief. I was starting to think I would have to wait until tomorrow to tell him! You see, I promised my wife we would spend the day scrap-booking, and I’m sure she wouldn’t want me talking on the phone all day long. I do have the tendency to babble sometimes.” Emily threw Gaster a despondent look as the caller continued to ramble on.

 

“Yep, I’m sure he’d love to hear all about it. Bye!” Emily rushed.

 

“I’ll be sure to tell her all about our conversation. She is also very fond of bugs. Perhaps one day you can try some of her famous snail pie!”

 

“ _Two_ hours!” Gaster whispered shrilly, looking out into the hall apprehensively and then shutting the door quickly, as if a crowd could appear at any moment. “We left you alone for two hours! Why can’t you just stay put? Do you know how long it took just to convince you to finally use that IV?”

  
She ignored his overly dramatic whispers and fidgeted back and forth, not knowing why for the life of her that she still had the phone pressed up against her ear, listening to someone talk about snail pies of all things.

 

“Just hang up!” He prompted, unsure as to why he was still whispering since there obviously was hardly anyone working in the building anyways. He wondered who on earth she was even talking to and suddenly became aware of the fact that it was _his_ phone she was holding. Emily turned away from him, continuing to avoid his demands and questions.

 

“Well, if I’m ever craving snails, I’ll be sure to give you a call. I’m giving the phone to him now.” She insisted bluntly.

 

Gaster’s mouth fell open in shock as he realized who she was talking to. Even by the look and sound of desperation alone it was painfully obvious. He was both horrified and astonished that she had managed to accomplish so many alarming things in such a small amount of time.

 

“You are _joking._ ” He whispered harshly and slapped a hand onto his face with an agitated groan. “......Unbelievable.” He finally said and dropped his hands defeatedly to his side, his face now devoid of emotion. So much for the possibility of keeping this quiet.

 

“Sure thing!” The man replied and Emily could see hope on the horizon. “It’s been a pleasure talking with you, Emily. I hope your injuries are healing well. Goodbye!” He added merrily.

 

Emily’s desperate state turned to shock and the phone in her hand sunk a little. Her face scrunched into what she usually described as her ‘yikes…’ expression.

 

“Uuuh...Yeah.” She said slowly as she cringed and held the phone out to Gaster, who snatched it from her grip.

He noticed the timer on the phone read forty-two minutes, and Gaster wasn’t looking forward to finding out what kind of conversation took place in that time.

 

“ _Busted._ ” She mouthed to him as he took the phone, and she dispiritedly fell back into the chair. Apparently the caller must have heard about her in some way. Emily wondered what she could have said to give herself away.

 

“That makes two of us.” Gaster uttered and raised the phone reluctantly.

 

“And how are things going over there?” Asgore asked smugly, knowing very well just how things were going.

 

“Under control.” Gaster assured him and eyed Emily sharply as he spoke. “Though it seems you have handled most of the situation.”

 

“Merely by chance. She is quite a charming girl. And apparently she has a very extensive knowledge of insects.”

 

Emily noticed the evil eye she was receiving and she glared back just as hard. As the call went on Gaster grew even more and more irritated with their stare down.

 

“ _Charming_ is not quite the word I would use.” Gaster grumbled and Emily threw her hands up in a ‘what do you want from me,’ gesture.

 

Gaster’s mouth twitched and he pointed to the phone in a sort of ‘how do you explain _this,_ ’ gesture.

 

Emily huffed and settled back into the chair as she awaited the end of the call.

 

And if she knew anything of life now, that could be hours.

 

“I’m sure she meant no harm. The conversation was quite amusing anyhow.” The King conceded.

 

“You don’t say.” Gaster responded flatly and irritably plucked a paper from Emily’s hands after she began to read over it.

 

Emily responded in kind by choosing another paper instead, which he then again snatched away from her prying eyes. Sighing deeply, she leaned forward and crossed her arms over the desk, choosing to instead flick at a skeleton bobblehead holding a ukulele.

 

She groaned and buried her head in her arms when he also grabbed this and placed it far away on a shelf next to the door.

 

“Yes, well, I’m sure you have things to attend to.” Asgore finally announced. “You may want to keep a closer eye on her from now on, though. She seems to enjoy wandering, and snooping as well, if you left your phone where I think you did.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight.” Gaster agreed and snapped the phone shut so fast, she wouldn’t have been surprised if it broke. He exhaled and sat against the desk, crossing his arms and pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. They sat in silence for a few seconds, so Emily took the opportunity speak up before he got the chance.

 

“Please tell me there were drugs in that candy, because after that I could really use drugs.” Emily spoke in muffled voice, not bothering raise her head to possibly face his wrath.

 

“ _No_ ,” He snapped and grabbed the box, looking into it bitterly. “There were not… You ate _all_ of them!? How did you even get in here? I’m sure I locked the door before leaving...” He uttered in disbelief and dropped the empty box back down onto the desk.

 

“Pizza?” She offered the card up to him and he took it suspiciously, unsure as to what she was implying. “The thirties called and they want their lock back.” She added.

 

“You jimmied the lock?” He spoke angrily and dropped the card as well. “And you did this why…?”

 

“Boredom was met with opportunity… Say, this is some pretty complicated shit.” Emily mumbled and Gaster glanced over her slumped form to see that she was actually secretly reading another paper hidden on her side. “And all in ink too. That’s hardcore. Are these Einstein field equations? They seem kinda-”

 

“ _Give_ me that.” He spoke sharply and stuffed the paper into a folder.

 

“Alright,” She sighed and sat up. “Lay it on me.”

 

Gaster eyed her for a moment, and she waited patiently for him to scold her so that she could pretend to listen. He finally huffed and lethargically shook his head, deciding he just didn’t have the energy at the moment.

 

“As much as I’m sure you would love to hear my complaints, I would rather just escort you back to your room.” He declared and paced back over to the door, holding it open. “And besides, I think that phone call was punishment enough.”

 

Emily studied the open door for a moment, and instead crossed her legs and turned the chair from side to side idly, tapping her fingers together in her lap.

 

“So what’s the deal with all of the cosmological research. Seems a little ambitious for a guy that literally lives underground.” Emily hummed, showing no intention of getting up.

 

While she was trapped by that phone call, she was able recognize that most of those documents were _way_ above her pay grade. At least not without many internet searches, that is.

 

Gaster closed his eyes and placed his palms together, taking a breath exhaling slowly. Emily watched him with a small grin, half wishing he would just lose it already. In fact she was almost hoping for it. He was way too composed. Being that uptight couldn't be good on the heart.

 

“A hobby.” He said simply and again motioned stiffly to the door.

 

Emily gave up and stood up with a sigh, sulking as she walked out.

 

“Are you… wearing a lab coat?” He fussed as he quickly locked the door and followed her down the hall, a little bothered by the fact that she already seemed to know where to go.

 

“Yep. How else was I supposed to fit in.”

 

“You do realize that it’s very dangerous to be wandering around. You’re lucky it’s late, or this place might have been crawling with workers.”

 

“I thought you said you weren’t going to lecture me.” Emily pointed out as she pressed the elevator button and stepped into the open door.

 

“That was until I found out this was premeditated, and not brought on by some psychotic break.”

 

“Oh c’mon, is it really that big a deal?” She asked as Gaster entered the elevator and readily pressed one of the many glowing buttons. “Oh, wait, that's right, I forgot that apparently everyone else thinks I’m some kind of psycho killer sent to destroy their homeland.”

 

“I did warn you that you may be met with distrust.” He chided. “And you _also_ realize that we are going to have to insert _another_ IV now, when the morning comes of course.”

 

“Yeah, no biggie. I’m over that.” She assured him flatly, finding his choice of words strange since there probably _wasn’t_ any kind of actual sunrise where they were. She wonders if it proves hard to keep track of time in a place like this.

 

Gaster was partially relieved to hear that she didn’t seem too concerned about going through that process again.

 

“And distrust is one thing. _Psycho killer_ , now, that’s a little extreme.” Emily argued and Gaster thought he heard a hint of sadness in her voice.

 

“Is it really necessary to keep me a secret? Why can’t I just walk around, introduce myself and whatnot. It seems better than having everyone convinced that I’m some kind of monster…” Emily paused and cleared her throat awkwardly. “Uh, sorry. Poor choice of words.”

 

“It’s fine.” He spoke sincerely and Emily relaxed a little, noticing he didn’t seem as bothered as he was a few minutes ago. “And yes, it is necessary. But if you’re so anxious to leave, why bother being concerned with your reputation?”

 

Emily scoffed and shoved her hands hotly into her coat.

 

“Fine, you’re right. Might be just as well, considering I won’t be seeing any of you again soon anyways.”

 

Gaster chose not to comment on this, but that didn’t stop him from replying.

 

“.....But-... There are certain times and days that you can walk about, if you must. Though I would have to insist you remain on one floor.” He suggested reluctantly. “Anywhere else, and you’re bound to run into other employees.”

 

“Thats sounds… reasonable. What about Vallis?” She asked.

 

“Who?”

 

“The guard.” She declared flatly. “Hairy guy, deep voice, nice enough to let me sneak off.”

 

“Ah, yes. That was not supposed to happen.” He admitted and the elevator suddenly came to a stop with a cheery ding. Emily followed him out, suddenly a little worried about her fuzzy wingman.

 

“He’s not in trouble is he? I mean, it was hardly his fault. No one even told him what I looked like.”

 

“I’ve become aware of that.” He griped and pulled his phone out of his pocket after hearing the beep of an incoming text. A blurry indistinct image loaded on the screen, along with the caption, ‘ _Did it send?_ ’

 

“...But if he puts you at ease, I can request to have him remain.” He finished, not bothering to answer the text at the moment.

 

“Nice.” Emily whistled approvingly. “This night turned out way better than I expected.”

 

“I agree.” He informed her quietly and a few moments of odd silence followed as Emily wondered if she had really caused _that_ much trouble.

 

“So uh… Sorry about the whole... Breaking and entering thing. And the going through your stuff part. And about the candy... That was pretty rude, I guess.”

 

“I have nothing to hide.” He acknowledged, another lie to add into his nice little collection. “Though I still find it strange you decided to raid _my_ personal work space.”

 

Emily felt a little more guilty now that he put it like that.

 

“I was bored. Wasn’t really planned.”

 

He nodded and seemed to accept this.

 

“But the candy… That is unforgivable.”

 

Emily snorted and turned to him with a doubtful grin plastered on her face.

 

“Really. _That’s_ the unforgivable part? Beside’s you had plenty in there. Couldn’t you just… buy more?”

 

“Sure, I could. Those ones were made specifically by the Queen herself, though.”

 

“Oooh, fancy.” Emily joked. “If they’re so special, then why shove them in the back of a desk drawer? Do you not like them, or…?”

 

“Wrong.” He objected and pulled a mint out of his pocket and tossed it into his mouth. “I’m absolutely addicted.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“I ration them very carefully so that I don’t run out before the end of the month. Now I’ll be forced to wait another two weeks before I can have more.”

 

Emily was a little impressed that she had apparently managed to eat a two weeks supply worth of candy. It really didn’t seem like any more than ten maybe.

 

“Why don’t you just ask for the recipe?”

 

“I’ve tried that, but I can’t seem to get it to taste quite the same. In fact no one can. Believe me, many have tried, and failed.”

 

“Sounds like she's holding out.” Emily suggested and Gaster made a sound of agreement.

 

“You know,” She suggested obviously. “Instead of waiting two weeks, you could just _ask_ if she has any more. If not, maybe she’ll make some.”

 

He scoffed as if it were the most unheard of thing in the world.

 

“Typical.” She muttered. “Well, I’m supposed to be meeting this King guy anyways, right? I’ll just mention it since you don’t have the guts. To make up for the crime, I guess.”

 

“If you’re that determined you may as well just phone him again.” He joked.

 

Emily stopped in her tracks.

 

“Wait, what?”

 

Gaster stopped walking too and grinned, something Emily never enjoyed seeing, seeming very entertained by her revelation.

 

“That was…?”

 

“The King.” He affirmed and Emily stared at him in disbelief and then laughed.

 

“T _hat_ was the _King_?”

 

“I don’t see what’s so astonishing.”

 

“I expected him to sound all... you know, tough, and kingly. Not like the overly friendly gardening neighbor that waves you down in the morning and makes you late for work.” Emily muttered as they continued down the corridor once again. “Damn. Some first impression.”

 

“Well, he is certainly the gardening type… Wait, If you didn’t think it was the King, then who did you think you had called?”

 

“I dunno. You’re… Dad?” She shrugged. “He sounded like the dad type. And for the record he called me… Or, uh, you actually….”

 

Gaster fell very quiet and Emily worried that maybe she'd somehow said something sensitive. She glanced back at him and saw he was shaking and even starting to slow down.

 

“Gaster…? Wait, are you-… laughing?”

 

The second she said it, Gaster did in fact burst out laughing.

 

Okay, laughing was a very tame word. She would’ve described it as more of an evil cackle.

 

“Uh, okay that's a little creepy. Take it down a notch.” Emily said sternly and looked around nervously, not fond of standing in a dark hallway with a laughing maniac. Gaster covered his face with a gloved hand, which successfully stifled his fit, but she could still tell he was very amused. Her shock quickly turned to irritation.

 

“I don’t see what’s so-”

 

She grew very alarmed by his weird behavior when he suddenly leaned into the wall and Emily thought for a second that he might actually fall forward.

 

“Uh, am I missing something here? Are you actually dying? Should I get someone?” Emily fretted and her arms jerked outwards instinctively. Thankfully, he threw a hand out against the vertical surface and steadied himself. “Seriously, I’m very creeped out right now.”  


“I’m sorry, I’m sorry- I’m very exhausted.” He got out finally and tiredly ran his hand down his face, waving the other dismissively when she offered to help. “So let me get this straight. You picked up the phone after hearing it ring, and answered it?” He heckled.

 

“I... Don't see what’s so funny. ” Emily rolled her eyes and backed off. “It was a spur of the moment thing... I panicked, okay!”  


He chuckled again and turned to lean back against the wall, smugly crossing his arms in front of him.

 

“And I suppose discussing insects for the next forty minutes was also a “spur of the moment thing.” He added mockingly.

 

“I’m walking now.” Emily informed him firmly and turned away from the vexing grin on his face. “And I’m not asking about the candy now.”

 

“Don’t feel too bad.” He spoke up as he followed and fell in step with her. It was just all so amusing. Definitely not the way he figured the human and the King would be introduced. “You’re not the first to fall victim. In fact, Dr. Alphys has settled on exclusively texting now because of this. Our King is very fond of gossip.”

 

“Great. I’ll keep that in mind.” She croaked and her spirits lifted when she spotted her new favorite canine.

 

“Val!” Emily shouted and waved and the dogs ears perked up instantly as he glanced around for the source of excitement. His eyes fell on the approaching duo, and then on Emily, and they immediately fell back down.

 

“Human.” He addressed her.

 

“Aw…” She sulked. “Don’t be like that.” She spoke regretfully and covertly stuck a thumb towards Gaster. “Don’t listen to this guy, you were awesome.”

 

“I was?” The dog inquired excitedly and it’s ears stood at attention once again.

 

“ _No,_ you were not.” Gaster cut in as he opened the door for her expectantly.

 

“I am feeling a whirlwind of emotion.” The dog stated in monotone and his ears fell once more.

 

“Aw, look what you did. The poor guy’s just trying to do his job.”

 

“His _job_ would be a lot easier if you would go to bed, Miss Stella.” He informed and walked over next to the guard and stood against the wall with his arms crossed as he waited for her to close the door behind her.

 

“Alright, fine. Good talk.” She muttered and began to slowly close the door behind her. She suddenly pulled it back open with a cheeky grin.

 

“Like I said, awesome.” She added and, before he had the chance to object, she tossed a mint that she had been hiding in her pocket to Vallis. He noticed it instantly and excitedly went to catch it until Gaster swiftly reached out and caught it before it could land into the dogs eagerly awaiting mouth. Emily frowned at his seemingly superior reflexes and gave him a miffed look.

 

“Good night Miss Stella.” He clarified again thickly and she finally shut the door in defeat.

 

A few minutes of silence passed in the hall and the guard watched Gaster nervously from the corner of his eye as he waited for him to do something. He wondered if the scientist was going to stand there all night.

 

Finally convinced that she was probably not going to come back out, Gaster yawned and then stepped in front of the guard, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder.

 

“Well, now that that’s settled, I’m sure no else would would be interested in anything that may have happened tonight. Wouldn’t you agree?” He asserted with a pleasant smile and the dogs eyes shifted nervously from side to side when the grip on his shoulder tightened.

 

“Um…” The dog whispered lowly, not understanding his suggestion. “I am feeling very threatened at the moment.”

 

Gaster sighed, something that was becoming a frequent habit lately, and lowered his arm.

 

“Just make sure that if she wants to go for a stroll, that it’s after working hours. I can keep the floor vacant, but I insist you accompany her just in case there's any trouble.” Gaster shortly wondered if Alphys was right about the lack of sleep affecting his ability to work. He wasn’t prone to making decisions that could potentially put others at risk. The dog replied before he could reconsider this.

 

“Yes sir.” The canine nodded confidently, certain that this was a command he was capable of.

 

“Excellent.”

 

Gaster turned away, but not before tossing Vallis what he assumed was probably the very last of his precious candy. The guard perked up instantly and caught it in his mouth.

 

“Goodnight.” He said and finally went on his way, much to the dogs relief.

 

He happily chewed the sweet treat and then stood at attention once again, content with the obvious fact that he must have been doing a good job _somehow_ since he was being rewarded. Five minutes of still silence passed when suddenly he heard a hushed ‘pssst,’ sound. Turning his gaze, he spotted the human cautiously peeking through the door.

“ _Is the coast clear_?” She whispered quietly.

 

“Yes.” He replied loyalty and suddenly realized that he probably shouldn’t have said that. “I mean- You should remain in bed.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Here.” She said softly and tossed him another candy she had stashed. “I figured he might not let you have it.”

 

She gave a final wave, and with that, closed the door. Emily strolled over to her bed, reaching into her pocket and taking out the small skeleton bobblehead she had snagged on the way out. She had no intention of hiding it, and placed it on the table next to the bed and looked down at it with a small content smile. It was certainly quaint, but the room was proving to be a little too bleak for her taste anyways. With a tired grin she gave it a small tap before climbing into bed.

 

Meanwhile, the guard kept watch outside, feeling very satisfied with his career choice while he munched the treat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again to all you lovely kudo givers and comment posters.  
> You are very nice people. cx


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